Over two hands-on sessions, children attending the summer camp at Dominic’s Community Centre will help bring the centre’s garden planters back into active use. In the weeks leading up to the workshop, the project team and community-centre staff have cleared, repaired and refreshed planter boxes that had become overgrown and weathered, creating welcoming spaces where children can plant, learn and grow together.

Working with strawberries, raspberries, rosemary, tomatoes and a selection of seasonal seedlings, the children will learn how to prepare the soil, handle young plants and care for them as they become established. The sessions will be practical, playful and accessible, giving children an opportunity to get their hands in the soil and encounter it not simply as dirt, but as a living material filled with microorganisms that support healthy plant growth.

The workshop will be facilitated by artist Gráinne O’Carroll and Feebee Foran, a herbalist, nature educator and founder of the natural Irish skincare brand Forager.ie. Feebee’s work combines scientific and folkloric plant knowledge, encouraging people to connect with nature and recognise the value of the plants growing around them. She is also the resident forager on Ireland AM. By planting together, the children will contribute to a shared garden that can continue to be cared for and enjoyed by the wider Dominic’s Community Centre community long after the workshops have ended.

Thar dhá sheisiún phraiticiúla, cabhróidh páistí atá ag freastal ar an gcampa samhraidh ag Ionad Pobail Dominic le boscaí plandála ghairdín an ionaid a chur in úsáid ghníomhach arís. Sna seachtainí roimh an gceardlann, ghlan, dheisigh agus d’athnuaigh foireann an tionscadail agus foireann an ionaid phobail boscaí plandála a bhí imithe i bhfiáile agus caite ag an aimsir, ag cruthú spásanna fáilteacha inar féidir le páistí plandáil, foghlaim agus fás le chéile.

Ag obair le sútha talún, sútha craobh, marós, trátaí agus rogha síolphlandaí séasúracha, foghlaimeoidh na páistí conas an ithir a ullmhú, plandaí óga a láimhseáil agus aire a thabhairt dóibh agus iad ag socrú isteach. Beidh na seisiúin praiticiúil, spraíúil agus inrochtana, ag tabhairt deise do pháistí a lámha a chur san ithir agus í a bhrath ní hamháin mar shalachar, ach mar ábhar beo lán de mhiocrorgánaigh a thacaíonn le fás sláintiúil plandaí.

Is iad an t-ealaíontóir Gráinne O’Carroll agus Feebee Foran a bheidh i mbun na ceardlainne. Is luibheolaí, oideachasóir dúlra agus bunaitheoir an bhranda nádúrtha Éireannaigh cúraim chraicinn Forager.ie í Feebee. Cuireann a cuid oibre eolas eolaíoch agus béaloidis ar phlandaí le chéile, ag spreagadh daoine chun nascadh leis an dúlra agus luach na bplandaí atá ag fás timpeall orthu a aithint. Is í an sealgaire cónaitheach ar Ireland AM í freisin. Trí phlandáil le chéile, cuirfidh na páistí le gairdín comhroinnte ar féidir leanúint de bheith á chothú agus á thaitneamh ag pobal níos leithne Ionad Pobail Dominic i bhfad tar éis dheireadh na gceardlann.