Winter Workshops Provide Opportunities for Master Gardeners to Learn New Skills
Extension Education
Krista Quinn
County Extension Agent
University of Arkansas
Conway
Abstract
The months of January and February are some of the slowest in the Master Gardener program year. Faulkner County Master Gardeners started conducting Winter Workshops in 2024 to provide Master Gardeners with continuing education at a time of year when there are not many other Master Gardener activities. Objectives of the workshops include increasing the knowledge and skills of current Master Gardener volunteers, providing opportunities for Master Gardeners to meet one another and begin collaborating, engaging new Master Gardeners when they are eager to start volunteering, and allowing Master Gardeners to practice their presentation skills. Each Winter Workshop includes four breakout sessions at four different time periods. The workshops begin at 3:30 pm with two breakout sessions in the afternoon, followed by a group dinner and two more breakout sessions after dinner. This timeframe was chosen to meet the needs of both working and non-working volunteers with the idea that people could attend all the sessions or just a few depending on their schedules. Master Gardeners or County Agents present the sessions. Gardening topics have included planning a vegetable garden, vegetative plant propagation, seed starting, building a bluebird house, easy-care roses, tool sharpening, and growing succulents. Other sessions have focused on teaching other skills useful for Master Gardener volunteers such as, how to find Master Gardener resources online and how to use Sign-up Genius for Master Gardener projects. For the last three years, Faulkner County Master Gardeners have conducted one Winter Workshop in January and one in February with an average of 80 Master Gardeners registering for each workshop. Evaluations of the workshops have been extremely positive with all attendees reporting they gained knowledge that they will use in their Master Gardener volunteer work. In addition, new Master Gardeners who have recently completed their Master Gardener training in the fall have assimilated into the Master Gardener organization more quickly and easily after meeting other Master Gardeners at the Winter Workshops. Many of the Master Gardener presenters at the Winter Workshops gained confidence in their presentation skills and went on to make educational presentations at public outreach events.
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted only for display at AM/PIC. Poster is not to be judged, but the abstract will be published in the proceedings.
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Authors: Krista Quinn
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Quinn, K. County Extension Agent, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Arkansas, 72034