Camp to teach youth gardening fundamentals

Clovis students ages 11-14 will be able to spend their spring break honing their green thumb and building a foundation for sustainable living.

United Way of Eastern New Mexico's Spring Break Youth Volunteer Camp, held from 8 a.m.-noon March 28-30, will allow young volunteers to learn how to build and maintain a vegetable garden.

The camp, which will distribute volunteers and adult facilitators at the Matt 25 Hope Center and Plains Regional Medical Center, according to UWENM Volunteer Coordinator Opal Evans.

The idea for the gardens came out of a need to teach children the value of giving of themselves to their community.

"We felt that children need something to do during spring break, and not only that, it gives them the opportunity to give back to their community and learn how to commit to doing things in their community," she said, "as well as get them outside, get them exercise in the sunshine, instead of sitting at home watching TV or playing on their electronic games."

The gardens, once built, will serve as sources of fresh produce for both the volunteers and the community at large, said Evans.

"We're hoping to bring them (the volunteers) back periodically so they can keep everything going. It's not going to be that one time, I'm sure, because we're gonna want them to see the fruits of their labor, and to be able to pick a fresh tomato or a fresh cucumber and eat it right there," she said.

Adult volunteers will help guide the children, teaching them such skills as "how to use the tools appropriately, how to be safe, and just basically keeping them on point and on task," according to Evans.

30 11-14-year-old volunteers can register for the Spring Break Youth Volunteer Camp at http://www.volunteerenm.org/need/detail/?/need_id=247617.

Six to 10 adult facilitators are needed, and can register at http://www.volunteerenm.org/need/detail/?need_id=247840.