Colorado Master Gardener Outreach

	Colorado Master Gardenersm

You are here: Home \| CMG Administration \| Volunteer Opportunities -- Outreach

Volunteer Opportunities -- Outreach CMG Outreach Examples of CMG activities What counts for CMG work Education versus Service CMG Outreach It is the goal in the CMG program to connect volunteer with meaningful volunteer opportunities and to encourage volunteers to help identify areas where they can serve the community in the CMG role. Volunteer opportunities can be divided into two types of educational products. Technology transfer – Our role is to empower Colorado to make yard care and garden management decisions grounded on knowledge-based information. Our educational product is the exchange of knowledge. Most CMG outreach falls into this type of activity. Horticultural therapy – The purposeful use of plants to develop individuals, strengthen families, and build communities. Our educational product is life skills. Volunteers are motivated by a variety of factors. Some individuals will find more fulfillment sharing their knowledge with technology transfer type activities. Others prefer the people association in horticultural therapy activities, like mentoring a community garden or children’s garden. Some will find leadership roles in the program most rewarding. In Colorado, 1,700 Master Gardeners annually donate $1 Million in volunteer service. Primary outreach avenues include the following: Central to the vision of the Colorado Master Gardener Program is the expansion of meaningful CMG volunteer opportunities. Expectations of local programs to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities includes: All county/area CMG programs are expected to accept participation in a wide variety of CMG volunteer avenues, and to encourage entrepreneurial efforts of Colorado Master Gardeners. Actual CMG opportunities will vary from county to county, reflecting local needs, priorities, and resources. Cooperative Extension expects county/area programs to credit CMG volunteers for hours spent where volunteer assistance was requested. Acceptance of CMG participation in regional events (e.g., ProGreen, Colorado Garden and Home Show, writing for regional newspapers, working on state CMG committees) is expected of all county/area programs. In response to local priorities, local programs may require that a percentage of CMG time (i.e., a minimum number of hours) be served in high priority activities. All county/area CMG programs will provide a minimum of five types of volunteer opportunities from two or more of the categories listed below. Return to top of page Return to CMG Administration Return to CMG home page Examples of volunteer activities Diagnostic activities Phones and office walk-ins Diagnostic clinics at county offices Diagnostic clinics out in the community On-site visits (acceptable only if an approved component of the county/area program) Media activities Newspaper articles TV and radio Electronic media (web site development and e-mail inquires) Planttalk Colorado® script writing Teaching activities Speakers’ bureau Assisting agents with horticultural workshops for Colorado Master Gardeners, green industry, or the public Community greening and gardening programs Collaboration with other agencies and partners in horticultural related outreach programs (e.g., school gardens, arbor day celebrations, jail gardens, and 4-H gardens) Mentoring role with community gardens Mentoring role with community greening projects (e.g., demonstration gardens, earth gardens, garden tours, school gardens) Informational booths F airs and shows (e.g., county fairs, state fair, community fairs, garden and home shows) Farmers’ markets Administrative activities Office assistance to horticultural staff (mailings, filing) Volunteer middle management Program related grant writing Cooperative Extension advisory and steering committees Other examples Horticulture therapy programs Research plots Special projects (as approved by agent) Return to top of page Return to CMG Administration Return to CMG home page What counts for CMG volunteer activities CMG volunteer activities must meet the following criteria: Activity must be educational in nature. What is the knowledge or skills developed by the client? Activity must be supportive to Cooperative Extension issues. Volunteers must be identified as Colorado State University, Master Gardeners. Activity must be done with advanced approval of designated county staff. The County Agent makes final decision on what is acceptable. Return to top of page Return to CMG Administration Return to CMG home page Education versus Service As mentioned above, CMG activities must be educational in nature. Volunteers are encouraged to participate in service activities (like maintaining a local park or church garden) but not as a Colorado Master Gardener. As Colorado Master Gardeners, volunteers may not work as a free labor crew to plant and/or maintain city and county parks, plant trees for community groups, grow produce for community gardens, or otherwise maintain private or public properties. These activities are not educational in nature. However, Master Gardeners are welcome to participate as private citizens in these activities around their community. CMG volunteers are encouraged to serve as mentors to other groups (like 4-H clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and school or church youth groups) who are planting and/or maintaining parks, community gardens, and other green spaces projects. Here the CMG serves in an educational role as they work with clients. CMG assistance in demonstration gardens can be an effective educational tool. To be acceptable for CMG hours, the “demonstration” garden must truly empower the viewer to make knowledgeable decisions. This requires signage and print materials about the garden’s educational objectives. For example, an attractive xeric garden in and of itself does not give the viewer the knowledge to adapt xeric principles at their home. Signs need to identify xeric plants the viewer may want to purchase and print materials give additional information about techniques to reduce water usage. Interested CMG volunteers are encouraged to become actively involved in University research efforts, working with state and county staff. In these projects, it is expected that research staff work WITH Master Gardeners, to create a two-way flow of information and a learning environment for all. Home visits – Experience indicated that only the more experienced Master Gardeners with seasoned diagnostic skills will find success in this outreach effort. On-site visits are not a suitable role for apprentice or less experienced Master Gardeners. Since on-site visits are extremely time consuming, this may not be a prudent use of limited Master Gardener “time” in many counties. Careful consideration of overall program needs should be made before counties offer on-side garden calls as a local service. For most counties, on-site home visits are not a viable option. Return to top of page Return to CMG Administration Return to CMG home page Prepared by David Whiting Updated and printed July 16, 2004