Exploring the Impact of Community Gardens at UCF Arboretum

This past semester I did all of my volunteering hours at the UCF Arboretum. The UCF Arboretum is a learning community whose goal is to teach volunteers about the connection between humans and our ecosystems. The arboretum includes walking trails, a community garden, and a garden located in the creative school which are all on campus. Through my volunteer experience I learned the positive effects of a community garden and the importance of collaboration and citizenship.

According to Twiss, Dickinson, Duma, and Kleinman (2003), community gardens are important because they “improve community nutrition and physical activities” and “promote the role of public heath in improving quality of life.” They do so by allowing for easy and cheap access to nutritional food people otherwise wouldn’t receive. A big problem that comes with healthy eating is that it can be expensive or hard to find in your area. Community gardens like the UCF Arboretum eliminate these concerns. All harvested food goes to students on campus. Volunteers get to take home all the produce they can carry and the rest is donated to the Knight’s Pantry. Any UCF student can take home the food

Through collaboration, volunteers are able to “contribute their knowledge, skills, and experience” which allows for others to learn from each other. An important part of collaboration is diversity (Komives, Wagner 2009). Having a community garden in one of the largest universities in the United States allows for a diverse group of volunteers. The diversity at the arboretum allowed for people to learn different techniques regarding gardening. Different styles of gardening are applied to find the best possible methods to enhance the garden. From first time volunteers to the volunteer program facilitator, John Guziejka, everyone uses the experience to learn new