The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present the Junior Master Gardener, JMG, National Leader Training Conference virtually Feb. 21-22.
The program will be presented in the Zoom format from noon-5 p.m. on Feb. 21 and from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Feb. 22.
For conference details and session overviews go to 2023 JMG NLT Training-Homepage. The cost is $65 per person. The primary email for the conference isjmgnltconference@gmail.com.
“This year’s virtual national leader training will be a dynamic and interactive training conference,” said Lisa Whittlesey, AgriLife Extension program specialist and JMG program coordinator. “It will be exclusively and completely accessible as an engaging online training event.”
Conference goals
Whittlesey said the goal of the conference is to bring together teachers and leaders from across the nation for formalized training in the JMG curriculum.
The conference is designed to help participants grow from novice gardening educators to empowered leaders and trainers who can introduce and develop youth gardening in their school or local community, she said. Participants will learn to utilize JMG resources, implement best practices for programs, involve local county Extension personnel in programs and reach into schools, afterschool programs and clubs.
“Participants will also learn how to generate funding to support programs and build sustainability through collaborations and partnerships,” Whittlesey said.
Fourteen continuing education units will be provided by the Texas Education Agency and offered through AgriLife Extension.
“We also plan to record every session and will try our best to do so,” Whittlesey said.
The recordings will be available to participants for up to four months after the end of the conference.
Keynote speakers
There will be two keynote speakers on the first day of the training – one at the session opening and one at the closing.
The opening keynote speaker will be Chris Field, the founder and CEO of the Mercy Project and social entrepreneur, speaker and author. Field will speak about the power of positive disruption to create transformation beyond what can be measured during a lifetime.
Field’s most important disruption is Mercy Project, a non-profit he started with the mission of rescuing children from human trafficking in Ghana, Africa. The Mercy Project has earned the prestigious Norman Borlaug Humanitarian Award. To date, it has rescued nearly 250 children, returning them to their families and providing the education that will transform their future.
The day’s closing keynote will be presented by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, Ph.D. Selected by NASA in 2009, Lindgren has flown two long-duration missions to the International Space Station, the most recent space flight ending in October 2022. With both missions, he has logged 311 days in space, and 15 hours and 4 minutes of spacewalk time.
Lindgren and his crew participated in more than 250 different scientific experiments including research in human physiology, fluid and combustion physics, and space science and technology development. Their research included work with the “veggie” experiment, representing the first time a U.S. crew has grown peppers in orbit.
Spotlight programs and concurrent sessions
JMG programs from throughout the U.S. will be spotlighted during the training, including an after-school program in Coastal Mississippi and programs in Nevada, Indiana and Hawaii.
The training will also feature a live Get Growing Houston field trip by Marcus Glenn, Houston Independent School District area manager, who will discuss nutrition and agriculture at the Food and Agriculture Literacy Center at Mykawa Farm.
Concurrent session topics during the training under the heading “JMG Curriculum” will include:
— Hands-on with JMG Teacher Guide and Youth Handbook.
— Hands-on with JMG Learn, Grow, Eat & Go!
— Hands-on with the Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & Go! curriculum.
— Hands-on with Literature in the Garden and the Wildlife Gardener curriculum
— Hands-on with JMG Level 2.
Concurrent session topics under the heading “Growing Thriving Gardens and Adventurous Eaters” will include:
— Skip’s Tips for a Thriving School Garden.
— Gardening After Your First Season.
–– The D, E, F’s of a Successful Culinary Education Class.
— Attracting Pollinators and Beneficial Insects to the Garden.
— Herb Gardening with Kids.
Concurrent session topics under the heading “Serving a Diverse Range of Audiences in a Wide Variety of Settings” will include:
— Roots, Shoots and Mud in Our Boots.
— Grandfriends: Partnering with Senior Centers in JMG Programming.
— JMG Learn, Grow, Eat & Go! at YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs.
— “Crazy” Boot Camp Gardening.
— Using the JMG Curriculum with Special Needs Adults.
Concurrent session topics under the heading “Growing Leaders, Partnerships, Funding and Sustainability” will include:
— Growing Partners and Sustainability at Your School Garden Programs. Garden Club, Curriculum-Based Classes, Entrepreneurial and Philanthropic Initiatives.
— Tips for Working with Volunteers in Garden Programs.
— Kids Growing in Common Ground.
— Let’s Talk! Implementing JMG programs in schools to benefit school community and increase 4-H enrollment.
Conference registration and preparation
Due to the virtual nature of the conference, participants must register individually and not as a group. Registered attendees will receive an individual registration link to enter the conference.
Whittlesey said the password-protected website must be used to attend all presentations. The conference portal can be found by going to the conference home page and clicking the “conference portal” button.
On Feb. 13, eight days prior to the start of the conference, registrants will receive the password required to enter the conference portal and access all sessions. Attendees must have a digital device such as a computer, tablet or smartphone, speakers and a stable internet connection.
“It may be helpful to download the Zoom app to your digital device,” Whittlesey said. “There also may be designated times during conference activities that you are able to unmute and speak, and for this you will need a microphone. However, a microphone is not required to successfully participate in the conference.”
At 4 p.m. on Feb. 15, a separate virtual get-ready training will be conducted so participants may check their connection and ensure they will be able to hear and see the events at the conference. A link to this Zoom training session will be sent in the Feb. 13 email, along with conference portal password information.
In addition to this live training event, the training video and written instructions will be uploaded to the home page. Additional resources can also be found on the website.
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