Our Work

Our Work

CommunityGrows’ youth development programs provide a continuum of garden-based, hands-on environmental and health education programs at no cost to participants. Our curriculum focuses on environmental and garden lessons, nutrition education, civic involvement, leadership development, and job training for neighborhood youth.

Seed to Mouth

Encouraging healthy eating and food sovereignty through afterschool cooking classes

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Environmental Education

Promoting socioemotional development through in- and out-of-school garden curriculum

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BEETs

Empowering teens through a paid internship focusing on environmental justice, leadership development, and job skills

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News & Blog: Our Work​
Art with Purpose: Rene’s Mural Project for Community Transformation
August 16, 2023 CommunityGrows Organization, Education, Environment, Featured, Gardens, Koshland Garden, Koshland Park, Koshland Park, Program

In the heart of the East Bay, a vibrant and passionate Guatemalan artist named Rene is making waves with a project that is not only visually stunning but also deeply rooted in social change. Rene's journey as an artist has been a path of self-discovery, community connection, and a commitment to using art as a
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Kunal Palawat’s Journey: Relationship to Land, Environmental Justice, and BEETs
May 19, 2023 After-School Program, BEETS, CommunityGrows Organization, Cooking Class, Education, Environment, Featured, Gardens, Koshland Garden, Koshland Park, Koshland Park, Program

The BEETs (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) program at CommunityGrows is led by Kunal Palawat, who describes themselves as a Desi gardener, critical environmental justice researcher, and cook. They bring multiple years of experiential education, community organizing, and scientific research experience to CommunityGrows. More than that though, they bring and share their
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3 Ways to Connect Your Child to the Environment
September 27, 2022 Cooking Class, Environment, Gardens, Koshland Garden, Koshland Park, Program, Rosa Parks Elementary School
Summer classes have officially ended, and our garden educators spent 6 weeks teaching students from kindergarten through 6th grade about gardening and cooking skills. It was fun, challenging, and therapeutic.
From a Seed to a Community
June 6, 2022 BEETS, Environment, Events, Gardens, Koshland Garden, Koshland Park, Program, Volunteers and Interns Spotlight
I joined BEETs on a reference by my teacher. I joined for the sole reason on how they interacted with nature. It was something I had grown interested in, something I wanted to explore. Nature was depleting every single day, and my anxiety over climate change had really pushed me to the job.