Bloom Postcard Garden represents growth and students unique pathway

Students and staff from National Learning Network Ballyfermot showcased a sustainability-focused garden design at Bord Bia Bloom 2023.

For a second year in a row, the group presented a Postcard Garden to thousands of visitors at Ireland’s largest Gardening Festival, which took place in the Phoenix Park over the June bank holiday weekend.

Entitled ‘The Experiential Learning Garden’, the design represents the growth and unique pathway of each student, and explores the experience of a student as they embark on their journey of supported and inclusive education.

Students and staff from NLN Ballyfermot worked collaboratively to bring together all elements of the design, some lending their artistic talents to paint an impressive backdrop while others keen to make use of their woodworking skills to construct the garden.

The design features a focal point of a student’s desk surrounded by planters with salads, herbs and root crops. The planters include clear panels displaying the root growth of the different plants featured, from seeds to juvenile and mature plants.

Matthew Thomas, an instructor at NLN Ballyfermot, said: “The future is bright for the students, and this is what our design hopes to show.

“The plants that sit either side of the desk, growing and developing at different stages of maturity, represent the student’s journey through NLN, preparing for whatever their next steps may be. The students learn by doing and are immersed in a supported learning environment.”

Matthew added: “Sustainability was key to the concept. We sourced plants and seeds from our centre on the Kylemore Road in Ballyfermot, making use of wooden pallets from Rehab Recycle and reused sheets of plastic from businesses in Ballyfermot. Everything is from here, even down to the rainwater that we have collected. It’s a self-sufficient little plot.”

Robin, a student on the Vocational Skills Foundation course at NLN Ballyfermot, said: “We’ve done all of the painting and gardening, we have worked on this together and built it with our hands.”

Saul, a student, explained the concept of the backdrop, which features a bright blue sky. “The backdrop features the logo of experiential learning, which means using your hands and learning by doing,” he explained.

Murphy, a student, painted the bright sunshine on the backdrop for the garden. Speaking about his course at NLN Ballyfermot, Murphy said: “I like my course, I have learned a lot. I’m learning maths and social skills. I have been working on my goals, which are learning how to swim, and getting in shape. I’m learning how to make videos, I always take pictures. I have a lot of friends here.”

Speaking about her experience of National Learning Network, Robin said: “We get to do a lot of projects. On my course, we learn computer literacy, art, health and safety, and self-advocacy. It’s really good. Self-advocacy means standing up for yourself and I think that is really important.

“It is important to me and it’s important to others. In the future, I would like to do criminal psychology. The self-advocacy that I am learning here in NLN will help me with gaining confidence and with dealing with people in different situations.”

National Learning Network Ballyfermot offers flexible training courses to students aged 16 to 65 in an inclusive learning environment that focuses on each student’s strengths. Individualised, holistic support is at the heart of training on offer at National Learning Network.

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