A Therapeutic Horticulture Summer Program for Teens
Sow 2 Grow is a 3 to 5 week summer program for teens, 13 years olds through high school seniors.
Hosted by UT Gardens, Sow 2 Grow is a fun, socially engaging summer program that involves a variety of fun gardening activities. The program is held in a natural, safe, environment that uses people-plant connections as a foundation to improve the well-being of the whole person.
Through participating in various plant-based activities participants will learn a variety of skills including: a better understanding of what is expected of them in gaining employment and in the workplace, how to manage stressful situations using nature, and how to work both independently and as a team!
Sow 2 Grow is for teenagers, 13 years olds through high school seniors, who have disabilities.
Sow 2 Grow is a multi-level program designed to prepare teens for employment. To participate in Intermediate Level 2, participants must first participate in the Basics Level 1 program.
Example activities include:
- Plant-based activities such as propagating a succulent plant will provide participants with the tools necessary to meet the expectations of performing job tasks correctly and expeditiously, building self-confidence.
- Learning and practicing stress management techniques through spending time in nature, focusing on the sounds of birds, wind, leaves rustling, and the smells of various flowers and trees will give participants a tool to improve their physical and mental well-being.
- Through building a “Memory File” on a daily basis, information about themselves, and using it as a tool to encourage interaction with the other participants in the program will help promote socialization and confidence.
- Students will share what good and bad bugs students found during a scavenger hunt and whether they were beneficial or not for the plants they were on, correlating it with jobs that provide or don’t provide the skills needed toward obtaining their dream job.
Sow 2 Grow Basics (Level 1)
Sow 2 Grow is a therapeutic horticulture vocational work ready skills program for teens (ages 13 through high school seniors). This program utilizes plant-based activities and tasks to prepare teens for employment. Participants will develop a better understanding of what is expected of them in the workplace and will strengthen their social skills, too.
Participants will benefit from the shared experiences and friendships gained during this multi-week program. They will collaborate on projects and activities to accomplish gardening tasks individually and as a team.
Sow 2 Grow Basics (Level 1) is a prerequisite for all future levels.
Schedule:
June 9- June 27, Monday-Friday (no session June 19th as UT campus is closed)
Time: Half Day and Full Day options
- Half Day: 8:30 am- 12:00 pm (no lunch)
- Full Day: 8:30 am- 3:00 pm (lunch break included)
Cost:
- Half Day: $375 Members / $420 Non-members
- Full Day: $600 Members / $645 Non-members
Sow 2 Grow Intermediate (Level 2)
Sow 2 Grow Intermediate (Level 2) is a 5-week summer program for returning participants who have successfully completed Sow 2 Grow Basics (Level 1). It is an enhancement of what the students learned in the level 1 program. Through fun and socially engaging plant-based activities, students will develop a deeper understanding of job skills and requirements to obtain employment.
Participants will accomplish tasks both independently and as a team to help prepare them for employment, along with strengthening their social skills. Students will also have an opportunity to meet various workforce members of the community to hear about their job and ask questions.
Whereas the basics program is an introduction to workplace environment and expectations, the intermediate level encourages students to dive deeper into this world. Examples include participating in mock interviews and creating detailed resumes. The activities in this program will incorporate the application of essential skills (i.e., clear and enthusiastic communication) to prepare students for the process of seeking employment and participating fully in the workplace. While participating in Sow 2 Grow, students will be immersed in the field of horticulture, preparing them for the green industry and beyond.
Schedule:
May 27 – June 27, Monday through Friday (no session June 19th as UT campus is closed)
Time: Half Day and Full Day options
- Half Day: 8:30 am- 12:00 pm (no lunch)
- Full Day: 8:30 am- 3:00 pm (lunch break included)
Cost:
- Half Day: $437.50 Members / $462.50 Non-members
- Full Day: $875 Members / $925 Non-members
Our program is led by Derrick Stowell, Registered Horticultural Therapist, and Deb Wolf, Therapeutic Horticultural Specialist. Both have many years of experience utilizing plants and nature in a therapeutic setting.
Derrick has been working for the University of Tennessee Gardens since 2012. He is the Education and Horticultural Therapy Program Administrator for the UT Gardens. Derrick is responsible for directing education programs and horticultural therapy programs for the UT Gardens, Knoxville location. He received his bachelor’s degree from Maryville College in 2003 with a double major in environmental studies and outdoor recreation. After graduating, Derrick spent a year as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Knoxville working with Ijams Nature Center and its Earth Flag program teaching environmental education to students in Knox County schools. Derrick went on to complete his master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Tennessee in 2006 and directed Camp Koinonia in 2006. He spent five years directing the national camp program for the Amputee Coalition of America and was also their Annual Giving Manager. He received his Ph.D. in plant, soil and environmental sciences from the University of Tennessee. Derrick has developed numerous programs for the UT Gardens including horticultural therapy programs. He is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). In 2015 he became a registered Horticultural Therapist (HTR) through the American Horticultural Therapy Association. Derrick served on the Board of Directors for the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) from 2016-2018. He also served the American Horticultural Therapy Association as President-elect (2021), President (2022), and Immediate-past President (2023).
Deb Wolf, certified Therapeutic Horticultural Practitioner, currently works as the Horticultural Therapy Program Assistant/Program Development at UT Gardens under Dr. Derrick Stowell. Deb holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Psychology from Regis University and a Certificate in Horticultural Therapy from HT Institute affiliated with Colorado State University. In 2010, she volunteered for Community Cultivation in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and eventually worked as their Therapeutic Horticultural Practitioner until moving out East. While at Community Cultivation she helped prepare youth and young adults with disabilities ages 15-25 for work in the real world. Using horticultural therapy, she taught them the social and professional skills they would need to be appropriate and successful in their future jobs. As a Therapeutic Horticultural Practitioner at UT, she currently oversees and develops horticultural therapy programs for residents of various Senior Facilities in the Knoxville region. She has always loved working with plants and people so what better way to do both than through horticultural therapy.
“[Staff]made me feel like I was leaving my child with people who knew disability and prompted me to give information I would not have thought to give. [Following the program] he was very verbal after we were in the car and used non scripted speech which was huge for him”
Sara Felts (Parent of 2022 Participant)
