Sharing Programs across Cultures: Lessons from Garden Mosaics in South Africa

Abstract

Youth can benefit from opportunities to learn about both local and global socioecological systems. Programs such as Garden Mosaics that focus on local cultures and places and that include opportunities for global understanding, may foster such learning across cultural and national boundaries. Garden Mosaics is a U.S.-based youth and community program that incorporates youth participation and engages young people in learning from elders, many of whom are immigrants, about growing food in urban gardens. In 2005, we adapted the Garden Mosaics activities for learners in two South African township schools, and we have used what we learned in South Africa to enhance our U.S. youth programs. However, our experience also raises critical issues about the reciprocity of our efforts, and about how we can form more equitable cross-national partnerships in the future to create youth programs that integrate local and global understanding.