Outcome Report 2024-2025

• The outcomes describe clear benefits that are aligned with the need and impact area.

• What are your team’s top achievements from the GirlsBuild project? 

⭐️ Presenting at the Greening Schools & Climate Resiliency Committee Meeting with the LAUSD Board ⭐️

🏆 Receiving a certificate of recognition from LA County 1st District Supervisor Hilda Solis' for volunteering at the annual East LA Women's Center Resource Fair 

🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 Maintaining our partnership with the East LA Farmer's Market and East LA Women's Center 

🌱  Sustaining our project and our Mindful Gardeners GirlsBuild team for the 5th year in a row 

• What evidence have you collected to share (use of data)? See photos below.

• What are the short term outcomes (qualitative and quantitative) to affect change in the community or with the students?

  • Distributed approximately 25 seed planting kits at the Summer of Resistance event at Placita Olvera, in collaboration with LAUSD Board District 2, Dr. Rocio Rivas' team 7/8/25 

  • Hosted a GirlsBuild End of Year celebration and watch party with 3 students 5/20/25

  • Hosted an Earth Day celebration with approximately 15 students, in collaboration with teacher Ms. Arriaga and her students, and with Students Run LA Coach Ms. Myers and her students 4/11/25

  • Presented at the Greening Schools & Climate Resiliency Committee with the LAUSD School Board 3/26/25

  • Distributed approximately 50 seed planting kits for Cesar E. Chavez "Day of Service" at Belvedere Park 3/22/25

  • Distributed approximately 50 seed planting kits to community members at the East LA Women's Center Resource Fair with LA County 1st District Supervisor Hilda Solis 3/8/25

  • Hosted an allyship bracelet making activity as a form of self-care to approximately 50 students at our school's Black Heritage Month fair at Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School 2/27/25

  • Hosted our annual Mindful Gardeners Leadership Retreat for approximately 15 students 2/22/25

  • Hosted a field trip to the UCLA Botanical Gardens for approximately 30 students, 2/5/25 

  • Distributed approximately 25 seed planting kits at our school's Magnet Fair on 11/2/25

  • Distributed approximately 75 starter plants at the "Proud to be me" conference at John Leighty Middle School 10/5/24

  • Hosted an allyship bracelet making activity as a form of self-care to approximately 50 students at our school's Latinx Heritage Month fair at Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School 9/27/24

  • Facilitated the "Mindful Hearts" activity to approximately 30 students for our school's "Live your best life" week on 9/13/24

  • Distributed approximately 52 starter plants to students, parents, families, and friends at our school's Back to School Night 8/29/24 

  • Distributed approximately 25 starter plants at the East LA Farmer's Market for National Farmer's Market Week on 8/10/25

• What will be in the long term outcomes to the community? Our long term impact continues to be to increase conversations in our East LA community about mental health and to help decrease the stigma associated with mental health. We plan on continuing our partnerships with the East LA Farmer's Market and East LA Women's Center to reach our local community with our message "Water your plants, water your mind," and to continue expanding our project further. 

Member Reflections on participating in the Mindful Gardeners GirlsBuild team: 

"Personally for me what impacted me most was being able to get out of my comfort zone, as before joining this club I was very introverted, and I didn't do things that I do now... Meeting new people and talking to Ms. Mariano about expressing myself through gardening and learning a lot of valuable lessons that I use now in high school. It's a lot of evolving as plants do, to become a new person that's better and to make a better future for myself using the things that I learned in this program." -Mariah L., 9th grader at Garfield High School (Former Griffith MS student)

"I think Mindful Gardeners has helped me a lot with my social emotional and my anxiety because I have a lot of anxiety in me... Gardening and focusing on my mental health, Mindful Gardeners has helped me a lot and now there are ways that can help me like gardening and counting 1 to 10, my anxiety has been better now." -Esmeralda M., 8th grader 

"I feel what Mindful Gardeners has helped me with the most is... with my social anxiety and because I get to talk to people about what my group does so I interact with them and I feel that has helped me more talk to different people and make more friends. So I feel like it's helped me with that a lot." -Nayeli, 6th grader

"Every year, I’m amazed by the new group of students who rise to their leadership potential. What began as a small idea during the pandemic five years ago has now become a staple in our East Los Angeles community. Our program has grown so much that I sometimes have to turn down opportunities because we’re already committed to so many events. What has excited me most is seeing middle school students, who often don’t get leadership opportunities until high school (if at all), step into these roles and thrive. The success of our program isn’t just about the events or the students, it’s about the collaboration and dedication behind it. I always come back to this African Proverb that captures the heart of what we do, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." That’s what we’ve done, and that’s why we’ll continue to grow." -Ms. Mariano, Psychiatric Social Worker and Coordinator of Mindful Gardeners

Events for the 2024-2025 school year:

• 7/11/25 Mindful Gardeners featured in the Boyle Heights Beat article 

• 8/10/25 Mental health outreach and plant distribution at the East LA Farmer's Market for National Farmer's Market Week

• 8/29/25 Mental health outreach and plant distribution at our school's Back to School Night

• 9/13/25 Mindful Hearts activity for our school's Suicide Prevention Week 

• 9/27/24 Allyship bracelet making at our school's Latinx Heritage Month Fair

• 10/5/24 Mental health outreach and plant distribution at the "Proud to Be Me" Conference 

• 11/2/25 Mental health outreach and plant distribution at our school's Magnet Fair

• 2/5/25 Field trip to the UCLA Botanical Gardens 

• 2/22/25 Mindful Gardeners Leadership Retreat

• 2/27/25 Allyship bracelet making at our school's Black Heritage Month Fair

• 3/8/25 Mental health outreach and plant distribution at the East LA Women's Center Resource Fair with LA County 1st District Supervisor Hilda Solis 

• 3/22/25 Cesar E. Chavez "Day of Service" at Belvedere Park

• 3/26/25 Presentation to the Greening Schools & Climate Resilience Committee, LAUSD School Board Presentation

• 4/11/25 Earth Day Celebration, planted an oak tree at our school

• 5/20/25 End of Year Celebration and GirlsBuild watch party 

• 7/8/25 8/29/25 Mental health outreach and plant distribution in collaboration with Board District 2 Member, Dr. Rocio Rivas at the Summer of Resistance festival at Placita Olvera