Insight Garden Program

Insight Garden Program

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Insight Garden Program Background

        Insight gardening program is a brainchild of Beth Waitkus. Her vision was to help the underrepresented so that they could be able to join the society again. By working with prisoners, she was able to help them fit in back into the society. The prisoners needed not feel out of place once they were releases. IGP has been around for less than ten years.

        By the use of flower gardening, the prisoners get in touch with themselves. This shows the prisoners that they are also human and that they have nothing to worry about other than themselves. This helps the prisoners develop self-awareness to impact the world.

        Beth Waitkus has a passion for serving the underrepresented. By helping these people see that they are not part of the problem but the solution, she has given them hope. That is why she pitched camp at the San Quentan Prison. It is here that she manages the IGP project.

Project Goals

        The main goal of the project is to help reconnect the prisoners to themselves and their communities. This will help the individuals fit in back into the society and be productive at the same time. Such a task is not easy and therefore it is broken down to smaller goals. The participants of the project are then monitored to see whether they have improved or not.

        The project also aims to help those participating in the project appreciate their communities more. This deepens the sense of responsibility by each individual. With responsibility comes the ability of an individual to do that that is right. They do not need anyone to follow them around ordering them what to do they can do it themselves.

        The project hopes to show the participants of the project that they are not a problem to their society. Participation in the project opens up their minds to several possibilities. This gives the participants the hope that they very much need. With this in mind, they can now understand their role in the growth of their community.

        The project aims at helping the community gain cohesiveness. The individuals participating in the project work in groups. This means that they have the ability to work together rather that the sense of individualism marketed in prisons. Knowing that they can work together to maintain the flower garden, they are now capable of working as a team. The team effort is congruent to participating in productive societal activities.

Research Methodology

        Visiting the Google website has helped discover a lot of information about the project. Through the website it was possible to identify several of the steps and projects converged by the IGP team. It was also possible to develop appropriate questionnaires. With these questionnaires, it was possible to email them to the workers and interview them about the project.