And This is My Garden, a new documentary from Winnipeg filmmaker Katharina Stieffenhofer, explores an innovative school gardening program that is breaking new ground in education and literally growing a healthier community in the process. The documentary, produced in association with Buffalo Gal Pictures, will screen at Cinematheque May 21 – 23.
And This is My Garden is set in the small northern community of Wabowden, Manitoba, where schoolteacher Eleanor Woitowicz is spearheading an education-based sustainable food movement called the Mel Johnson School Gardening Project. This initiative, based on the Frontier School Division’s science curriculum “Veggie Adventures,” was introduced into the Mel Johnson School in 2006. Woitowicz teaches students how to take care of their own backyard vegetable gardens and reap the rewards of growing their own chemical-free food.
Students develop valuable skills in sustainable food production, healthy lifestyle choices and food preparation, while fostering a sense of responsibility, pride and increased self-esteem. Woitowicz was awarded a Manitoba Excellence in Sustainability Award by the Manitoba Government for her educational efforts in 2009.
The success of the Mel Johnson School Gardening project has already caught the attention of many influential organizations including the David Suzuki Foundation & Manitoba Conservation. On May 5, 2010 – following an invitation by the United Nations – the teachers presented on their Mel Johnson School Gardening Project to the UN Committee on Sustainable Development in New York as one of three projects chosen out of sixty from thirty countries.
Screening: Cinematheque, Art Space Bldg., 100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, (204) 925-3457
- Fri May 21, 2010 at 7:00 PM
- Sat May 22, 2010 at 7:00 PM
- Sun May 23, 2010 at 4:00 PM
For more information, see: http://www.winnipegfilmgroup.com/cinematheque/and_this_is_my_garden.aspx