GROWTH is recruiting! See links below for more information and details on how to apply.
The GROWTH Project is a training and employment program designed to introduce clients to the field of horticulture and landscaping through classroom and hands-on work training. The GROWTH Project assists Behavioral Health Services (BHS) clients to learn marketable skills, receive on-the-job training and mentoring, and secure competitive employment in the community. Moreover, GROWTH is a collaboration between UCSF’s Citywide Employment Services, MHSA and Behavioral Health Services (BHS).
GROWTH offers three months of unpaidclassroom and hands-on training (8 hours per week) with a professional horticulturist. Those who successfully complete the classroom portion of the training will have an opportunity to be hired for 6 months (8 hours per week) of paid work training. Students will learn how to choose the right plants for a landscape project and how to plant, grow, and keep plants happy and healthy. In addition, students will learn how to design landscapes, how to maintain landscapes and gardens using various tools, and how to get a job in the landscaping and gardening industry.
The goal of the program is for clients to learn marketable skills for the workforce while being a part of the transformation of the BHS Mental Health Care System. Finally, GROWTH aims to create welcoming environments in the wait rooms and garden areas of BHS/DPH clinics that culturally reflect the communities they serve.
“I learned a lot, not only about horticulture but also about who I am. I’ve realized that this class made me more capable of overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, and succeeding at whatever I set my mind to.”
- Quote from a Program Graduate
GROWTH provides participants with:
- 3-months of classroom and hands-on training
- 6-months of supervised work training
- On-going job placement support, job preparation, resume building, competitive job placement and employment retention services
GROWTH hands-on training in landscaping, horticulture, and gardening will include but is not limited to:
- Indoor and outdoor landscape installation
- Indoor and outdoor garden maintenance
- Vegetable, drought-tolerant, pollinator, and habitat garden installation
- Mulching, soil preparation, watering, weeding
- Planting and transplanting
- Use of various garden tools
- Basic irrigation knowledge and understanding
- Basics of permaculture
- Basics of horticulture
- Plant identification
- Landscape Design
- Teamwork and work-place collaboration
GROWTH services are intended to adhere to the Wellness and Recovery Model helping clients to holistically improve their mental health and wellness. These services are intended to provide meaningful activities that foster the client’s independence and increase their ability to participate in society in a meaningful way.
Wellness Promotion
- An increase in client’s engagement in clinic and clinical services
- An increase in client satisfaction with services
- An increase in clients who have learned marketable job skills in landscaping and gardening
- An improvement in general mental health through exposure to nature, employment, and esteem building
- Increase in staff and provider morale