The Future of Youth Gardening: Solving Real World Problems
Tuesday, July 14
Bari Applebaum, founder and executive director, Chicas Verdes
The future of youth gardening will rely on cultivating socially conscious leaders by deepening young people’s connection to nature. Chicas Verdes is a Los Angeles–based nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people to recognize their connection to nature, their communities, and themselves. Through programs are rooted in environmental justice, Chicas Verdes addresses inequities in access to green space, healthy food, and environmental education. The nonprofit is the youth gardening partner of LA2050, a community-guided initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles.
Founding Chicas Verdes director Bari Applebaum will share how the organization’s work contributes to the LA2050 vision; Chicas Verdes’s models for community collaboration and horticultural job training; and the organization’s new School Garden Challenge, which provides funding, training, curriculum, materials, and mentorship to create impactful, innovative, and sustainable school gardens in Los Angeles. We will also hear about Chicas Verdes’s impact from a student alumna, Gaby Guevara, who now works for Chicas Verdes and has developed her own nonprofit working to eliminate food insecurity.
Raised by gardeners, Bari Applebaum’s work at the intersection of nature, education, and equity began early. Before working in the nonprofit sector, Applebaum taught chemistry and health at Manual Arts High School, where she served as Magnet Program Lead Teacher and Science Department Chair. In partnership with her students at the school, she co-founded Chicas Verdes, which has since grown from a student-led garden initiative into a multi-site nonprofit serving youth across Los Angeles.
Under her leadership, Chicas Verdes has engaged thousands of students in building school gardens and advancing food access initiatives. Applebaum is now leading the development of a national model to help schools launch and sustain garden-based education and food access programs, expanding access to green space and student leadership opportunities nationwide. Applebaum holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin and a Master’s degree in Secondary Education from Johns Hopkins University, researching the impact of access to green space on high school students.
The Future of Youth Gardening: Plant Education in the Age of TikTok
Thursday, July 16
Dr. James Folsom, AHS board member, AHS Liberty Hyde Bailey Medal recipient, and garden director emeritus, The Huntington
The future of youth gardening will rely on connecting children with plants in both the physical and virtual spheres. Dr. James Folsom will share his experiences with youth gardening over the course of his career, from his creation of The Huntington’s renowned educational gardens and plant facilities for children to his current engagement with hundreds of thousands of learners through TikTok. He will note trends, offer insights, and posit the field’s next steps for engaging youth with gardening.
Dr. James Folsom served as Director of the Botanical Gardens at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens for thirty-five years, where he oversaw more than a dozen thematic gardens covering 130 acres of the Huntington’s 207-acre grounds. He served as visionary and project head for the development of new gardens and botanical facilities and the restoration of historic gardens and maintenance. Much of his focus was directed toward educational programs that increased public interest and understanding of the science, culture, and history of plants and gardens.
Some of the most notable additions to the garden under Folsom’s tenure include a botanical research and education facility in 2001, the Helen and Peter Bing Children’s Garden in 2004, the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science in 2005, the Chinese garden—Liu Fang Yuan, or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance—in 2008, the James P. Folsom Experimental Ranch Garden in 2010, as well as the renovation and expansion of the Japanese Garden in 2012.
Folsom has authored numerous research papers, articles, and reports in both scientific and popular publications, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards. He was awarded a Professional Citation by the American Public Gardens Association in 1999, received the Medal of Honor from the Garden Club of America in 2007, and received the Liberty Hyde Bailey Medal from the American Horticultural Society in 2020. In 2016, he was inducted into the Order of the Rising Sun (Gold Rays with Rosette) by the government of Japan for the Huntington’s assistance in celebrations honoring the centennial of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to the United States in 2012.
In his retirement, Dr. Folsom continues to contribute to the horticultural field through his service on the American Horticultural Society’s board and through his highly popular TikTok channel, botanyincontext, which uses social media to engage people around the world in the joy of plant study.