With a focus on our impact as world citizens and through the active process of hands-on-experiences, we practice to inspire and scaffold children to become effective agents of change within their local and broader communities.
Emphasizing personal initiative, Grounded Knowledge cultivates transformative thinking by educating children about the interconnectedness of growing, harvesting, preparing, and sharing locally grown organic foods.
Through this curriculum children begin to realize the positive effect their intentions and actions have on the world in which they live. Using this motivation as a launching point, Grounded Knowledge works to instill life long inspiration and activism in its youth, nurturing the seeds we sow today for a healthier tomorrow.
Through our programs Grounded Knowledge brings children in direct contact with the process of transforming open urban spaces into thriving organic gardens. Once harvested the students then deliver all their produce to local community based institutions such as Brooklyn's Prospect Hill Senior Services Center, a support center for low income older adults. Together with Grounded Knowledge the Prospect Hill Senior Center offers opportunities for older adults and children to work together while fostering relationships through gardening and cooking. With the garden as the context, the partnership provides everyone with a safe, inspiring social space to engage positively with community members.
Grounded Knowledge also has a presence on the inside of schools. Our student lead Green Team environment groups at PS 164 and PS 295 hold Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, and Healthy Food workshops for teaching staff. The groups also teach after school and enrichment programs that educate students about our food system.
The creation of our Green Thumb school garden presented an opportunity for collaboration with other area ecological programs such as the Garden to Café project, NYS Department of Agriculture, NYCDOE and School Food, Added Value, and New York City's Green Thumb project. Past collaborations also include the Brooklyn Botanical Garden through their Project Green Reach program and Cornell's Urban Extension Garden Mosaic program.
Founder Susan Weseen grew up in a small town in the northern British Columbia, a place that inspired her love for the outdoors and planted the seed of environmental stewardship. She has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Harvard University, a master's degree in education from Bank Street College of Education and a master's degree in social psychology from the Graduate Center at CUNY. Susan is currently working on her Ph.D in social psychology.
As a librarian at PS 295 Susan shares her love of reading with a diverse community of students, grades Pre-K through 5. Susan also runs the Garden to Café project at PS 295; a project that focuses on bringing student grown food to the school's cafeteria. Sharing her love and respect for the environment Susan facilitates a student run lunchroom composting program and spearheads a school-wide recycling plan.
In her off time Susan enjoys gardening at Park Slope's 6/15 Garden and she is an active member of the Brooklyn Backyard Brigade, a group sponsored by the PSFC to educate and support neighborhood gardeners in sustainable gardening practices.
Founder Taura McMeekin also grew up in a small town in the Northwest. Heralding from Bainbridge Island, an island community near Seattle, Taura's respect for the environment stems from a childhood of exploring rocky beaches, local forests and the nearby majestic Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges.
As a young adult, Taura became involved with the Student Conservation Association where she worked in the Payette Wilderness teaching high school students the value of environmental awareness and responsibility. As a member of the National Back Country Skiers Association Taura learned wilderness survival skills and lead guided tours of national parks. She has a bachelor's degree in music from Cornish College of the Arts and a master's degree in human development from Pacific Oaks College.
Taura was a founding member of Seattle's New School @ Southshore, a unique public school that strives to honor each child: body, mind and spirit. As a start-up project, Taura worked with a team of educators to create a school community that practices "the change we wish to see in the world." As a teacher at Brooklyn's PS 164 she has spearheaded environmental and nutritionally centered programs such as the Golden Trash Can awards, a reuse, reduce, and recycling program through New York City's Department of Sanitation. In the spring of 2009 Taura spearheaded the Fruits and Vegetables grant which her school received. Starting in October of 2009 children at her school began receiving supplemental daily servings of fresh produce.
In an effort to share our vision with the general public, Grounded Knowledge frequently hosts community open hours and information sessions at the Prospect Hill Garden which is located in Park Slope Brooklyn. For more information about Grounded Knowledge, our information sessions or to find out how you can become involved please email us at groundedknowledge@gmail.com.