A testament to the influential nature of educational and community
gardening programs for teens
Part engaging conversation, part comprehensive fieldwork, Growing a Life
demonstrates just how influential educational and community gardening
programs can be for young teens. Follow author Illéne Pevec as she
travels from rural Colorado to inner city New York, agrarian New Mexico
to Oakland, California, in order to study youth gardening and the
benefits it contributes to at-risk teen lives. Extensive research,
supplemented by beautifully candid interviews with students, illustrate
the life altering physical and mental benefits that mentored gardening
programs can provide. Giving readers the opportunity to examine the
largely unexplored topic of urban gardening, the programs discussed
present models for future educational and community based gardens. Each
destination brings with it an abundance of programs geared toward
educating teens by giving them the tools they will need in order to have
fruitful futures. With an emphasis on positive psychology, Growing a
Life delves into the minds of underprivileged teens and what gardening
means to them.