Garden course plants seed for redemption

Allan*, who is in his late 40s, has never had a steady job. While he’s had casual employment over the years, he had also stolen and sold high end cars, which led to more than a decade of cycling in and out of the prison system. But now things are looking up, thanks to Jesuit Community College’s Garden Pathways Program.

A collaboration between Jesuit Community College and the Department of Justice and Community Safety, the program offers transformative experiences for men in contact with the justice system.

“Allan was lucky to be selected for the program given he had done so much prison time,” says Jesuit Community College’s Carol.

The Garden Pathways Program supports men serving community corrections orders to complete their required hours of community work, while engaging in accredited horticultural training. It allows participants to help the wider community by growing vegetables and donating them to a local food charity, and engages them in garden maintenance work.

The College delivers nationally accredited qualifications and units of competency as well as shorter specialised pre-vocational and non-accredited courses. It supports people who face barriers to mainstream education and employment, including long-term unemployed people, newly-arrived communities and people who have had contact with the justice system.

It sits within Jesuit Social Services’ broader education, training and employment work which supports people who have had limited access to learn, study and work. Our work includes a social enterprise recruitment service which supports businesses to access diverse, motivated and productive candidates.

We also operate the Ignatius Learning Centre, a Catholic Specialist Secondary School in Melbourne for boys aged 15-17 who are involved with the youth justice system. Established in 2021, the school provides a safe, holistic and therapeutic learning environment which restores hope, offers a sense of belonging, and enables students to flourish and reach their potential.

These programs aim to build the skills and confidence of participants, and support them onto pathways to further education or employment.

From day one, Allan loved it. He enjoyed learning about every aspect of the garden – from mulching, growing and harvesting to chicken wrangling and egg collecting.

“He said it really suited him and was a really good environment for him – he was very much over prison life and wanted change,” reflects Carol.

Over time, Allan allowed himself to be more vulnerable and connect with new people.

“He made genuine connections with everyone and was very well liked and respected. Meeting the garden crew weekly, who were genuinely happy to see him, had a visible, positive impact on him,” Carol says.

“He reflected on where key decisions in life were made, both the good and the bad ones. He continually expressed he didn’t want to go back to prison. He has a son now, and he wants something very different for his future.”

Allan has since applied to study community work at TAFE so he can steer young people toward a brighter future. He says he wants “to stay away from my old life, ‘cause I know I can be part of something much better.”

“(The) teacher was so good with me, (she) took her time to get involved so that I felt like I would be a part of something so much better than my past life,” he adds.

Having faith in people’s capacity for reform, recognising their desire for change, and providing opportunity and support through programs like Garden Pathways can deliver profound outcomes for the community and the individual.

“Allan will start studying part-time at TAFE next semester. When I saw him on his last day, he was very committed to looking to the future and not reoffending. Frankly, I think he’ll make it,” says Carol.

The program is just one example of how Jesuit Community College draws on the rich tradition of Jesuit education committed to ‘care of the whole person’ and development of active and informed citizens.

*Allan’s name has been changed to protect his identity.