|
|
 Radishes popping up!
Oh wow! It’s really growing. Common Ground is starting to show its green side. The lettuce is up (and covered against the freezes). Radishes and carrots are starting to show their colors. The potatoes are in the ground. Peas are planted… And much more planting to be done.
Am wanting to wax philosophical about small beginnings and the wonder of growth and how so often what looks like just dirt has amazing, bursting-with-life stuff happening just below the surface.
But for now, let’s enjoy that the garden is truly growing and so is Common Ground!
Thank you, thank you to all who make this possible!
“I think if you add other programs it would be good.”—anonymous
“I expect that these class is good enough to learn for everyone.”—Pa Cung, a Burmese refugee in Boise, ID
“Because of your kindness your patience your helpfulness and volunteering for everything I would like to say thank you for everything.”—Hau, a Burmese refugee in Boise, ID
This is why we do what we do.
THEY are why we do what we do.
-TVR
- Common Ground Garden
When most people look at a bare 1.25 acre parcel of land, they see…weeds, dirt and …well, that’s it. But when Tara Varga Russell and the Common Ground team looked at the little acreage next to Eastwind Community Church (ECC) , they saw beauty and jobs and friendships and giving back to nature and a movement to help those who have the least with the little that we’ve got!
Welcome to Common Ground – The Garden (we call it a “farm”)! Since you are reading this, I have a feeling you also see far more than mounds of dirt when you pass the Common Ground garden spot. Perhaps you see a place to give, perhaps a place to grow (both plants and you), or a place for refugees to get a new start in life. Or perhaps your wonder, “What can you do with this tiny bit of ground?”
Frankly, at times I look at this little plot and wonder how we can make a go of it. But I am a wordsmith and our “Land Team” are green visionaries with the know-how to make it happen. Days went into planning the layout of the farm. Our Land Team includes master landscape architect Katie Wilde; land engineer, Stephen Richey; land manager, Ben Varga, head farmer, Mackenzie Rivers and many more talented folks. The result of their planning and the help of dozens of volunteers, is a very intensive farming operation. Let’s take a tour.
When you pull in behind ECC, to the west you see mounds of dirt. Look a little closer, the mounds are actually beds, 140 of them. They are of differing lengths and shapes, depending on the plants planned to occupy them. Some are 4’ x 4’ others are 4’ x 12” and…you get the picture. Irrigation pipes have been laid and the drip irrigation system installed, just in time for planting (if we can avoid any more frosty nights!). Planting is beginning.
Recently, I spoke with head farmer, Mackenzie Rivers to understand what’s happening. Here’s what I learned.
Organic, sustainable, local is not just a motto. It is the operating plan for the garden. We are using natural fertilizer (euphemism for high quality, seasoned manure), combining plants that protect from bugs with plants the need the protection, focusing on materials that can be obtained locally and sold locally, and that can produce in a way that sustains the operation and the training purposes behind the Common Ground movement.
Back to the beds. The beds are shaped as they are for two purposes, to provide the very best growing environment and to provide learning opportunities for our trainees. For example, lettuce will be planted in squares versus rows because lettuce does better in a square and it allows a trainee to work with a mentor side by side or face to face more effectively.
Diversity. We will be planting 25 crops, but that’s not all. Within each crop there may be as many as 8 different varieties. For example, we will plant 8 types of tomatoes, 6 types of potatoes, a variety of beans, carrots, peas, and on it goes. We will also be planting crops our international friends are familiar with. For example, we’ll plant Asian greens, basil, shallots, as well as plants not necessarily common to local produce stands, but easily grown here.
Community. Yes, community. We are planting communities of plants. Instead of plants growing in single variety groupings, we will be doing what is called “undercropping” and combining for the maximum effectiveness and health of the plants. For example, tomatoes will have edible flowers growing under their canopy, often protecting the tomatoes from pests and the flowers from the sun.
Sustainability. We are planting a 3-cycle farm. This means once production starts, we will have three main planting seasons and harvests from start to finish of the growing year. It’s possible, that even in our first year, this plot could produce 20,000 pounds of produce…and train perhaps as many as 60 – 100 refugees with skills they can use on the job.
All this in just 1.25 acres of land and the biggest hearts I have ever known. If you get a chance, drop by the garden and enjoy the spirit and energy of this amazing place.
Sandi F
 Training - A team sport
Walking into the training room to participate with our Common Ground trainees and their delightful trainer, Debbie Randall, I was unsure what to expect. I’ve taught business as a second language, but never English as a second language. It took about 5 minutes to feel at home.
What I found was delightful. The men and women around the table were such good sports exploring the intricacies of setting up an appointment with a doctor. Have you ever thought through why we say “I can come on Friday at 2:00.”? They laugh at their mistakes and we laugh at our strange language. But they are serious and work hard to “get it.” It’s very important to them that they have erasers on their pencils. They are comfortable with the idea that learning doesn’t mean getting it right the first time.
It’s time to spend an hour outside on the farm plot. This is not free labor. (Actually, most of the volunteer work on the farm has been done by Idahoans.) They are learning landscaping skills, the art of following directions, the Idaho way of irrigating, plotting, bedding, growing vegetables. Soon, when produce comes, it will give them hands on experience with cash registers and customers. We all enjoy the work together and I realize that I have so much to learn about community from my new friends.
Back inside, we’re on to more understanding about making appointments for work, for interviews. We practice managing time so that all aspects of a job are completed. The mathematicians shine here. I feel silly checking their math, they are better at it than I am. But I can help with how long a task might take. So we all contribute to the dialogue.
A game, a worksheet, a conversation, a visitor or two and all-too-soon today’s training is over. Good-byes are rapid, there’s a bus to catch. They leave me wishing I’d been able to spend the rest of the day with my international friends.
A big thanks to the United Way DIRT volunteers that spent their lunch hour helping out at the Common Ground–Eat Local, Live Global community garden / training ground. Thanks for your help, dirty people  ….we appreciate you.
It’s energizing to see the new life beginning on site (Mackenzie + Steve, you are amazing!). The community garden / small farm will be a further extension of our job-training program–a place to practice customer service skills, order packaging, agriculture basics, equipment and maintenance, and mostly, a platform for our international friends to plug into the community, develop friendships, and use the language + job skills they are gaining.
I’m continually humbled by all the community is doing to make this happen….come and get involved!
 CG-ers Devi, Kabi and Dina “Refugee,” “Immigrant,” “Émigré,” “Displaced person,”…all terms I’ve heard or read regarding those brave people who have had to leave the land of their birth due to political, catastrophic or a host of other reasons. Often leaving family and the comfort of familiarity behind, they begin the process of finding a new home in a refugee camp or facility. Some stay there for a short time, but often for many years, doing their best to create a community. All have one thing in common. There is no going back. That door has closed.
Nations of the world often work together over time to determine where these courageous and resilient folks may journey to build a new life. The United States offers refuge to tens of thousands a year. Coming from all over the globe – Nepal, Bhoutan, Somalia, Eritrea, Bosnia, Iraq, China (the list could take the rest of this blog) – they are not looking for a free lunch. They are looking for a home.
I am proud to live in a country that offers hope of such a home. My great grandparents came over from Norway, ready, needing to start a new life. And I’m glad they did. Now we get to pay if forward with those coming into our country.
If you’ve had the privilege of helping anyone in our “refugee” community learn a language, develop a job skill, explore the intricacies of US culture, or Boise’s challenging public transportation system, you know what I do. None of the terms I mentioned elicits the right image. These are people I love to have as friends, neighbors, part of my community and heart. It doesn’t take long before the term “refugee” is replaced by “friend” and the term “international” is tacked on the front, only because I want to honor their courage and strength of character and to learn from them.
Note to those who wonder: Refugees are not here “illegally.” Refugees are invited to this country by our government, live within our borders by request and come to make a contribution and home.
Sandi F.
Life is about training. We’re trained to use the potty. We’re trained to tie our shoes. We’re trained to drive a car. My three year old loves to learn new things, to be trained, and once he learns, he NEVER wants to be helped again. It’s freeing to use that new found independence. It’s freeing to do things by himself. And now that he’s learned, it’s horribly frustrating when he can’t do those things by himself.
Can you imagine what life would be like if nearly everything you had once learned, at home, had to be relearned? If your new home was a place where the language was new, the systems were new, the food was new…..everything has to be relearned.
Refugees come to the US to escape danger or persecution. They come for a better life. And when they come, everything has to be relearned. Regardless of what job they may have held at home or in the refugee camp, they are forced to find quick employment that can sustain their families. But that task is more than daunting in this economy.
Which is why we exist…..
Common Ground is a job-training and development program for the refugee community here in Boise, Idaho. We work closely in partnership with the local refugee agencies along with other key community strategic partners. The challenge is far too great to tackle alone–collaboration is critical.
Common Ground is a program of the Momentum Group. We ‘help you help people.’
We create economic independence for those who have the least within the international community.
Think big, start small, scale fast. Explore our site, get to know us. Bear with us…..we’re just getting this site up and running. We’ll be adding content all the time, so come back and see us frequently. We’re excited to be a part of this community, and we’re excited for you to join us. Together we can better the Boise community–help make it ‘the most livable city in the country.’
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Common Ground blog.
|
Help Us Help People
|
