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Design Build Grow Eat is a jobs training program for teenagers. Participants, under the instruction of design professionals and seasoned educators will design, build and develop a sustainability plan for a garden and outdoor classroom at a Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) grammar school. Voice of the City, a Logan Square community arts organization, is implementing the program in partnership with Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA), CPS and After School Matters (ASM). The program will serve as a pilot for the Growing School Gardens (GSG) initiative of CPS. The goal of the GSG initiative is that every CPS school has a garden that functions as an outdoor classroom and enhances instruction through activity based learning. As a pilot of the GSG initiative, this project will take substantial steps to see this goal achieved at one CPS school.

The first phase of this project was a 5 week class meeting twice a week in May and June. A team of students met weekly with a task force at Monroe Elementary school made up of teachers, students, and administrators to get information and feedback on how best to design the outdoor space.