Environment, Food, and Garden Champions are school site based leaders working to integrate various projects and programs.

The EFG Champion is a synthesized and integrated position distilling the three prongs of the work we are embarking on at The Center - environment, food, and gardens. The EFG Champion(s) will work closely with The Center Education + Community Programming Team to integrate and connect the dots between these three prongs. 

In this stipended role, the EFG Champion leads garden management, maintenance, and use of the school site’s existing educational garden space(s) and its harvest. They connect their school garden, school food, Harvest of the Month and other programs together to promote access to nutritious food like fruits and vegetables at school for students, families, and staff. They do this in alignment with the new District Central Kitchen, Education Program and Instructional Farm (The Center).

An EFG Champion is someone who is: 

• Passionate about integrating gardening, food, and the environment into the school community. 

• Committed to making a culture shift at their school site around health and wellness for students, staff and families. 

• Emboldened to nurture a positive school and community food culture and promote school programs that encompass food/nutrition security and education around those topics. 

• Motivated to lift up environmental issues as they pertain to school grounds, gardens, food, and sustainability on their campus and in their community.

Who is eligible to be an Environment, Food, & Garden (EFG) Champion?

• Any school with an existing edible food garden with a commitment to completing requirements of the program throughout the year is eligible.

• Two (2)* members of the school community can apply to be part of an EFG school team, collaborating and working together to achieve common school-wide goals associated with the key elements of the EFG champion program. 

• 1 of your site’s EFG Champions must be a teacher or garden educator employed through the school. 

  • • If your site has a garden educator, this person should be an EFG Champion.

    • If your site has a community-based partner organization working on EFG components half-time to full-time, then that partner representative should be identified as the site’s second EFG Champion.  Please note all partner organizations should have an active and up-to-date contract with OUSD. 

    • School sites who have been identified as FoodCorps Service Member host sites can apply for only one (1) EFG Champion. The FCSM will act as the second EFG Champion for those school sites.

Note: Per the OUSD Policy all schools with a school garden are required to have and identify a designated garden liaison aka person-of-record by the start of the school year even if they choose not to opt into this formalized EFG Champion program. This person-of-record will need to be identified and communicated to the District Garden Council. 

EFG Champion Goals & Expectations for 2023-24:

• Growing a Diverse and Healthy Garden by:

  • Leading management & maintenance of garden(s), in accordance with the OUSD School Garden Toolkit. 

  • Scheduling and completing site garden consultations through The Center Education and Community Programming Team.

• Sharing the Garden Bounty and Seasonal Produce to Cafeteria, Classroom and Community by:

  • Celebrating Harvest of the Month (HOTM) by growing HOTM produce in the garden, conducting school-wide tasting of seasonal produce (provided to your school), using and distributing HOTM educational materials, and promoting HOTM on the school produce bars.

  • Harvesting, weighing, logging and distributing food grown in the garden to the school community on a regular basis. 

• Educating the School Community on Environment, Food, and Garden by:

  • Engaging with forthcoming Farm to School activities (i.e. field trips to The Center, farmer visits) and Garden to Cafeteria activities when opportunities arise.

  • Organizing or supporting EFG-based student learning or leadership activities such as, EFG classes in the garden, academic class time in the garden, EFG lunch club, or  afterschool program activities.

  • Promoting use of HOTM and other EFG lessons each month.

• Engaging and collaborating with school site community and The Center Ed + Community Programming Team by: 

  • Communicating with the school community through staff and family meetings and bulletin boards, newsletters, etc.

  • Referencing and enlivening the EFG Components of the Wellness Policy.

  • Attending EFG Champion Orientation and EFG trainings and workshops.

  • Picking up EFG materials from The Center (2850 West St.) in a timely manner.

  • Completing all monthly activity logs and relevant forms to report on success, challenges, and stories, in coordination with other site champions. Share pictures and videos of activities. Completion of one log per month will be required to receive the full stipend.

EFG Champion Support for 2023-24:

• Paid professional development:

  • • Start of Year Orientation

    • OUSD EFG Workshops: These will be held at The Central Kitchen, Instructional Farm, and Garden (The Center) in West Oakland on Thursday afternoons - 3 workshops total (1 per trimester). Other potential opportunities for engagements forthcoming.

• Additional optional learning and connection opportunities:

  • • OUSD EFG Meet-Ups/Office Hours: These will offer additional check-ins, technical support, and resource sharing. 

    • OUSD EFG Social Networking Events: These will be held periodically at The Center and will be opportunities to engage with the space and each other in a loose social atmosphere. 

    • Mentorship: With local Master Gardeners for technical one-on-one ongoing support in the garden and aspects of growing seasonal food, ornamentals, and CA natives (if desired). 

• Supplies: Requested and provided based on funding.

• Access: to our Landscape Materials Request Forms, seasonal Supply Form, Infrastructure Repair Support and OUSD School Garden Seed and Start Program.