Published August 24, 2017
As a SEE Independent Professional, Marina Kozliaeva plans to implement a community-gardening initiative for children with disabilities in Nizhny Novgorod. Ms. Kozliaeva will be traveling to the United States in late July, to engage with organizations and initiatives that advance the inclusion of people with disabilities in community projects – particularly community gardening projects. She will take an intensive course in therapeutic horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden to learn the fundamentals of therapeutic horticultural and observe US best practices in organizing and managing community gardening projects at her host organization.
Ms. Kozliaeva will take this knowledge home to Nizhny Novgorod, where she will guide children and teenagers with disabilities through planting gardens around their schools and neighborhoods in late Summer, 2017. Ms. Kozliaeva’s hope is that this initiative will only be the start of a sustainable community gardening project, and that Nizhny Novgorod’s children with disabilities will continue to maintain these gardens over the years to come.
In early July, Ms. Kozliaeva held a workshop on design-oriented thinking and improving the urban landscape. Specifically, Ms. Kozliaeva gave a lecture about current trends in the field of urban geography, focusing on urban gardening. This workshop is a precursor to Ms. Kozliaeva’s research and the project implementation strategy of her project as a SEE Independent Professional. Stay tuned for updates from her journey to the United States!