Education
The Friends have a long history of providing education in the Geelong Botanic Gardens. We continue to proudly support education, contributing $10,000 annually for school and holiday programs offered by the City through staff employed by Geelong Botanic Gardens. Our own Guides provide further support with research, educational materials and other assistance to this Education Program.
Meanwhile, our Guides are still hard at work and they have developed some extensive programs:
These are all designed to discover more about the Geelong Botanic Gardens with the assistance of our Volunteer Guides.
The Geelong Botanic Gardens also connects people with the amazing world of plants with the program Learn@GBG.
- Schools can participate in a range of themed programs.
- Families can join in the fun of school holiday programs.
- Horticulture students may develop skills in hands-on-horticulture with work experience.
For more information, visit Learn@GBG on the GBG website:
The Development of Education at the Geelong Botanic Gardens
In 1998, the Friends organised and funded the professional development of an Education Kit for Primary Schools. The program was delivered by our Volunteer Guides in consultation with Education Department teachers.
In 2002, the Friends funded an Administrative Officer with educational and horticultural qualifications. The program was expanded, and the idea of the outdoor classroom was embraced by schools. In 2007, the role of Education Officer was supported by the Friends for 12 hours per week. Approximately 1,100 students were visiting the Gardens and using our programs each year.
In 2012, a change was made to the delivery of schools education in the Gardens. The objective was to expand the programs and attract more students to learn about, and appreciate, plants. Clearly, the Friends could not continue to undertake a much larger program, and agreed with the GBG to support the City offering education to schools. To this end, and in accordance with our Purposes, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City, signalling our ongoing support.
