Accessibility & Inclusion in our Gardens

Community Garden Builders acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil Waututh), and Coast Salish peoples. Community Garden Builders seeks to work in solidarity with Indigenous growers and makers, while respectfully acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of these lands.

Community Garden Builders creates accessible urban spaces for local community members to grow their own food and flowers. These are the ways we currently enact accessibility in our gardens:

 

Physical

  • Gardens are open for all community members to walk through and enjoy year-round.

  • Raised beds of 18”.

  • Select sites have wheelchair access, site dependant.

  • Water On/Off handle - simple lever.

  • Infrastructure in place for gardeners to get growing immediately, including soil and soil amendments, compost, water hookup and shared tools.

Financial

  • Accessible membership fees for all ($20/year/bed).

  • Reducing/waiving fees for those who cannot pay yearly membership.

Social

  • Transforming vacant, underutilized properties into temporary growing spaces for communities.

  • Welcoming everyone from all walks of life to sign-up for membership.

  • Garden Manager handles conflict and holds members accountable based on signed Garden Agreement and Rules.

  • Every garden has a community board, large-font signage with communications/contact information, picnic tables and “Water Me” signs to encourage members to help each other out.

  • We aim to allocated as much of the garden space to organizations working with families, seniors, newcomers, refugees, people of colour, LGBTQ2+ members, low-income members and other marginalized community members

Cultural

  • By welcoming everyone from all walks of life, our gardens celebrate diversity, cultural exchange and multigenerational connection. People bring their history, knowledge, stories to share in the garden.

  • We encourage members to grow any type of food or flowers within their boxes as long as they still allow access to sunlight in other garden boxes.

 

accessible, safe spaces for everyone

Community Garden Builders is continually learning what it means to be a good neighbour and how to create accessible, safe spaces for everyone.  We acknowledge that community garden spaces are not inherently inclusive without intentional and purposeful actions. 

Raised_Garden_Bed_Temporary_Community_Garden_Accessibility and inclusion
 
 

Welcome Declaration

Every person is welcome to our gardens. Every gardener is welcome to come as they are.

No matter what your race, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, ability, religion, ancestry, political affiliation, language, financial status, age, record of offenses, immigration or family status, you will be respected here. 

We expect everyone to be patient, polite, understanding, and to treat others with respect. We expect everyone to treat the garden with respect.

Raised_Garden_Bed_temporary_Community_Garden_04.2016_Shifting_Growth_050.jpg
 
 

Accountability & Safety

Our Garden Agreement and Rules are intended to help create a sense of community amongst gardeners and to help the garden be a good neighbour for the community.

 

We have a zero tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination as outlined in our Garden Rules, including racism, sexism, ableism, ageism or transphobia.

 

Gardeners will raise with the Garden Manager any disputes about the Garden or with fellow Gardeners. The Garden Manager has the power to hear these disputes and will resolve them in the best interest of the Garden and its members.

Gardeners who cannot abide by the Garden Agreement or Rules may lose their rights to participate in the garden. If that occurs, the Gardener must leave the Garden by the end of Garden hours on the termination day and may not participate without permission.

 

Join us in conversation

As we continue to learn and develop best practices, we invite you to join us in conversation if you feel comfortable sharing. We’d love to hear your ideas on how to include people from all walks of life in our gardens.

Raised_Garden_Bed_Temporary_Community_Garden

Connect with us: garden@communitygardenbuilders.com

 

Resources

This document was adapted and inspired by respect policies and resources from: