SWIMGA had planned a 2020 Leadership Conference on Cultivating Our Diversity that was cancelled due to COVID-19. Leaders did not want their efforts to go to waste, so they developed five questions and named focus groups and mem­bers to develop recommendations.  The five focus group questions were these:

1. How can SWIMGA increase ethnic diversity and what community groups would we partner with to develop projects?
2. How can SWIMGA increase age diversity in the group (especially younger MG)?
3. How can SWIMGA provide more gardening opportunities for people with mo­bility and accessibility barriers?
4. How can we increase the diversity of educational experiences offered by SWIM­GA and what topics would be of interest in the Promised Zone or downtown?
5. At what specific locations can we conduct education projects and co­ordinate in the development of gardening projects, what ones can we use in existing SWIMGA gardens; and what pilot projects would need to be developed?

35+ Master Gardeners contributed to the focus groups on diversity. They were able to put together a plan that not only combined the 2017 Strategic Plan, but also, the recommendations from the focus group questions.  Projects began in 2021.

OCTOBER 2026 UPDATE: The Youth Education & Diversity Committee has been busy all year setting up booths at local community events to share knowledge and information, providing educational activities, and passing out garden swag (seeds or plants). Students from Signature School worked with MG at several of the events.

So far this year YE&D represented SWIMGA at seven community events and made hundreds of contacts with gardeners of all ages. Starting off in February, committee members attended the Tri State Creation Care Conference “A Path Forward in Today’s Environment” which was held at a “net zero” building, the Islamic Center of Evansville. They shared information with attendees on upcoming SWIMGA events, answered questions and provided information on becoming a master gardener.

On April 11 the committee tabled at two events on the same day – in the morning the committee passed out information, seed packets and other swag at the Bee City kickoff event “The Buzz Begins” and in the afternoon our volunteers spoke to college students and gave away plants at the UE Earth Day event. The next weekend hundreds of families visited our table at the very popular Wesselman Woods Earth Day celebration. To round out the month, SWIMGA set up at EVPL’s Dia de los Ninos (Children’s Day), made “earth bracelets” with 95 children who visited our table and gave away 150 plants.

In June two shifts of volunteers manned the table at the Juneteenth Celebration and gave away 250 plants. In August, YE&D members joined other SWIMGA volunteers at Hartman Arboretum for Butterfly Days where they provided education on the lifecycle of butterflies and moths. YE&D has activities planned to finish out the year before planning the slate for 2027.

2024 UPDATE: The YE&D Committee has been busy this growing season and have already laid the groundwork for next year’s projects.

YE&D activities fall under four categories: Youth Education, Community Garden Sites, Events/Giveaways, and the Diversity Advisory Board. Summer Youth Education events included Earth Day at Wesselman Woods and Hebron Elementary School Carnival.

Three educational events were completed at Easter Seals Early Learning Center.  Go HERE.

Butterfly education was held at Patchwork Central. The students learned about the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly and how they can help this threatened species. Students observed Monarch and Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars and chrysalides. After the program, the Patchwork kids learned about winter sowing, then planted Milkweed seeds in cups and left them to overwinter in the garden.

Albion Bacon Center community garden was established this year and by late summer the residents were enjoying the produce from the garden. Work at this garden will continue in the next growing season.

Harper Elementary School requested help in establishing a pollinator garden around a tree which had been planted in memory of Mrs. Kubecka’s son. In early June committee members helped her 3rd grade class prep the site with cardboard and mulch, and a few weeks later the nectar plants were installed. This special garden serves dual purposes as a pollinator garden for butterflies and a memory garden for Harper staff and students. Students painted memory stones in honor of lost family members to add to the garden. Volunteers monitored and watered the garden all season to ensure that the plants thrived. In August, Rita and I returned to the garden to release Eastern Swallowtail Butterflies and teach the students about their life cycle, as seen in the photo to the right.

YE&D participated in several community events this summer. Volunteers participated in the monthly plant and produce giveaway at All Saints Parish through October. In early August, volunteers handed out flyers and plants at the Emancipation Celebration hosted by Evansville African American Museum. In spite of the rain, they attended “EVs for EVVeryone” hosted by Tri-State Creation Care in September. And finally, in late October, volunteers quickly gave away hundreds of plants to eager attendees at Fiesta Evansville.

The Diversity Advisory Board met in July. The DAB consists of members from the community and collaborates on ways to facilitate diversity and inclusion in future YE&D projects. New members of the DAB for 2024 are include representatives from EPD and Wesselman Woods. The board suggested increasing community engagement by recognizing “Best Backyard Garden” in the downtown area. This would give SWIMGA an opportunity to connect with some of the 12 neighborhood associations and community gardens in downtown Evansville. YE&D plans to form a subcommittee to explore ideas such as criteria for recognition and awarding signage or gift cards to the winners.

The YE&D committee met in mid-September to review progress and discuss community projects for next year. Community projects at Melrose Assisted Living, Vogel Elementary School, and a City Park near Liberty Baptist Church were discussed.

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