How to run an efficient and effective Green Teens session at Milford

There will be a minimum of two adult volunteers running each garden session and up to eight teenagers attending. It is the Garden Leader’s responsibility to ensure the following is completed and the session runs smoothly. The Garden Assistant(s) role is to assist!

When you arrive:

  • Enter the Garden via the Luck’s Yard main reception – please be respectful of the LY clients and reception team.

Please arrive 30 minutes before the session start time to ensure you can:

  1. Get the green box and one of the iPads from the locked drawer in the Luck’s Yard reception 
  2. Locate emergency contact detail slips for any new teens you need to induct (in the emergency contact details folder)
  3. Conduct a Site Assessment of the garden to ensure there are no hazards e.g. fallen/falling tree branches, tools, animal excrement
  4. Ensure that all AV’s read the guidance/notes regarding new teens joining the session.
  5. Discuss any strategies considered helpful to introduce the new joiners
  6. Check the tasks list for the session and ensure you know where the materials are located
  7. Divvy out who will lead which tasks/take responsibility for what between the adult volunteers
  8. Locate your lanyards in the green box and put these on
  9. Locate the teens’ lanyards and have these ready to give out

This will ensure you feel prepared and calm for the teens’ arrival.

When the teens arrive:

  1. Give the teens a friendly welcome.
  2. Ask their name if you have not met them before and introduce yourselves
  3. Give them their lanyard
  4. Ask them to stay in the covered area until everyone has arrived. Explain that you will go through the tasks / projects for the session once the group has assembled and let them know they are welcome to choose which ones they would prefer to focus on
  5. Do the above once everyone is there, but if teens appear to be running late (beyond 5 minutes) or no-show, just include and update them as and when they arrive.
  1.  

Teen induction

  1. Do an induction for new teens if it is their first session (a copy of the induction notes are kept in the green box) and give them a lanyard for them to write their name and preferred pronouns on. Put their emergency contact details slip in the back of the lanyard.

Agreeing the day’s session plan

  1. Ask the teens to walk with you round the garden and check what looks different to last time, what has grown etc. If they are new, one of you can give them a reminder of where things are in the garden.
  2. Discuss the tasks you hope to get completed today, or projects they can work on during the session. Also let them know they are free to chill out and take a seat whenever they would like to, grab a drink and sit in the sun, or grab some sketch pads and paints, play a game.
  3. Ask them whether there are particular things they would prefer to do. If you get “I don’t mind” or no response, feel free to allocate tasks to them and check they are happy with what you have asked.
  4. Give one of the teens the key to the shed and ask them to get the tools you need for the session (the key is hanging in the covered area on a hook, near the kettle). Charge the battery for the lawn mower or strimmer if needed.
  5. Adult volunteers should give the teens demonstrations of how to complete tasks, how to use the tools safely and where to put weeds etc. but should avoid doing things for them as much as possible!
  6. Keep an eye on things as tasks are undertaken – ensure the teens are using tools safely and are wearing the correct PPE as required e.g. gardening gloves, goggles, steel toe-capped boots. Log any Health and Safety incidents on the weekly garden report.
  7. Take some photos of the garden and activities (these must NOT show faces of teens – just their hands please!)

PLEASE NOTE: If any adult volunteers or teens find any hazards e.g. pieces of glass in the garden, please put these on the shelf in the covered area and log this on the weekly garden report at the end.

At the end of the session:

  1. Let the teens know when there is around 15 minutes to go until the end of the session.
  2. Ask them to collect and clean tools and put them safely back in the shed. Lock the shed.
  3. Collect any rubbish from the session and put this in the wheelie bin at the front of Luck’s Yard Clinic .
  4. Put any compostable materials on the compost heaps.
  5. Collect lanyards from the teens.
  6. Ask them to complete their feedback cards and post these in the white box in the covered area.
  7. Thank the teens for their time and let them head off when the session ends (remind them to put their mask back on to exit via the clinic).
  8. Discuss how the session has gone with the other AV’s and get their feedback to include in the Garden Report
  9. We prefer their parents NOT to come into the garden – to keep it a protected space for them (unless it is their first visit). If any parents do come through please let the Garden Leader know via WhatsApp so we can send them a polite reminder for the following week.

Before you leave:

  1. Fill in the weekly garden report on the iPad and submit this. It lists the tasks you have completed, teen attendance, any H&S issues, risks etc.
  2. You have to press the ‘home button’ to unlock the iPad and to get the home screen. With the new-style iPads you just touch the screen but, with the older models, you need to use the home button. It’s pretty obvious as it has a finger sized indentation.
  3. The password for both iPads is 7890
  4. The link for the Weekly Garden Report is https://bit.ly/3ESJGKg
  5. Ensure the shed is locked, the key is put back on the hook, the fairy lights are off and the door leading from the garden to the clinic is locked behind you.
  6. Check the garden is clean and tidy and that everything has been put away where it should be!
  7. Put the green box and iPad back in the locked drawer in reception.
  8. Check no tools have been left out on site