Interprofessional Student Garden
Gardening and plant based activities are in the top three preferences expressed by students in a student interest survey conducted by BeWELL. This is no surprise, as research reveals, that natural environments can reduce anger, fear, depression, and stress while increasing pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature contributes to positive emotional and physical wellbeing, and may even decrease mortality. Even a single plant in a room can have a significant impact on stress and anxiety.
In 2022, the Interprofessional (IP) Student Garden was tasked with creating and designing a garden that has been identified near the Mayo/PWB buildings on the Twin Cities campus. Today, the organization is responsible for planting, maintaining, and sustaining the garden, as well as for documenting the planning from year to year.
The IP Student Garden is a student organization under BeWELL, which is a wellbeing initiative through CHIP. The organization is student-driven, with a group of 5-7 health professional students leading all garden operations, planting, coordinating with campus partners, creating events, and more!