Where growing food becomes growing possibility.
Reclaim the Land - Horticulture Program
Reclaim the Land is The Evolved Network’s horticulture program that brings hands-on gardening, cultural history, and environmental awareness into partner schools. Students learn how food grows, why land matters, and how caring for the earth mirrors caring for ourselves and our communities.
Rooted in The Evolved Network Way, the program blends science, storytelling, and reflection to help young people see the connections between soil, identity, culture, and possibility.
Rooted in The Evolved Network Way, the program blends science, storytelling, and reflection to help young people see the connections between soil, identity, culture, and possibility.
What Students Explore
Each month, students move through a focused exploration that builds practical skills alongside deeper understanding:
The curriculum honors African and Native growing practices, local history, and the food systems that shape Chicago’s neighborhoods.
- Soil, plants, and environmental health — how the land shapes the food we eat.
- Food access and sovereignty — who has access, who decides, and how communities reclaim power.
- Garden design & planning — choosing a site, caring for soil, and creating a thriving growing space.
- Water & climate — understanding our Great Lakes Basin and designing with natural cycles.
- Seeds as heritage — connecting seeds to lineage, story, and the future we’re planting.
The curriculum honors African and Native growing practices, local history, and the food systems that shape Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Why it Matters
Reclaim the Land helps students:
This isn’t just gardening — it’s connection, identity, and possibility taking root.
- See themselves in relationship with the land
- Understand cultural and historical ties to food and growing
- Build skills in planning, observation, and ecological care
- Experience the garden as a place of calm, agency, and curiosity
- Reimagine what access, nourishment, and community can look like
This isn’t just gardening — it’s connection, identity, and possibility taking root.
Where We're Growing
The program is currently piloted at:
Each school receives seasonal support for garden planning, maintenance, and integration with culinary programming.
- William Ray Elementary (Hyde Park)
- National Teachers Academy (South Loop)
- Chicago Jesuit Academy (Austin)
Each school receives seasonal support for garden planning, maintenance, and integration with culinary programming.
Our Philosophy
Reclaim the Land is guided by the belief that:
Learning how to grow is also learning how to imagine — and reclaim — a future rooted in belonging.
- We are all connected to the land — even when systems try to separate us from it.
- Growing food is a relational act that teaches patience, presence, and reciprocity.
- Young people deserve access to fresh food, beautiful spaces, and the knowledge of where they come from.
Learning how to grow is also learning how to imagine — and reclaim — a future rooted in belonging.
Co-Authored by - Valentine Espinoza & Sebastian White