SAN DIEGO — An escape from the stress of life comes in the form of pots of soil for 17-year-old Andrea Juarez.
She is part of a group of students at Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center getting ready to sell the plants they’ve grown over the last few months. Before they joined this program, none of these kids have ever had this kind of hands-on experience.
“I really like all the scenery, all the nature, and I think it’s a really nice place and calming,” Juarez said. “I’ve always liked to do this stuff but I’ve never really had the opportunity until now.”
Olivewood is tucked away in National City in San Diego County.
Leonard Vargas is one of the instructors who teaches the kids, as well as the director of gardens and facilities. His goal is to inspire people to be healthy and active through organic gardening, environmental stewardship and nutrition education.
“National City has a high rate of obesity and some of those health issues that go along with it," Vargas said. "So we’re trying to combat that a little bit by showing them how to eat a little bit better, how to produce some of their own food in their own backyards, get their hands a little more in the soil and reconnect.”
Vargas also loves seeing his students figure out that the hobby they love might actually be a good career field for them in the future. Students get to keep the money from the plants they grow, giving many of them their first taste of profit.
“Open up a whole new industry that they probably really don’t even know exists, part of the horticulture industry," Vargas said. "Working with plants, growing them, selling them. Getting a little bit of a touch of entrepreneurship and the business side of it.”
Andrea says she’s already applied what she’s learned here to helping her family grow their own plants at home. As she gets closer to graduating high school, she’s ready to explore a career that lets her keep her hands in the dirt.
“I would love to have a job here, not going to lie," she said. "I really like doing this stuff and it’s just a nice community to be a part of.”
Olivewood also has community cooking classes and a donation-based produce stand to supply seasonal produce to the community.