Programs

Garden Angels

Los Rios and Reata are both spacious parks in San Juan Capistrano with several native planting beds, meandering trails, and scenic sitting areas. These parks provide the backdrop for garden programs that improve the lives of people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. 

Our current garden program goals:

  • Reduce perceived stress & anxiety and promote mental well-being

  • Increase community engagement & achievement in meaningful activities

  • Increase social exchange, peer interaction, & social support while working in a non-competitive environment

For neurodivergent youth and adults, we have additional specific goals to:

  • Learn a new skill

  • Improve memory, cognitive abilities, task initiation, language skills, socialization

  • Strengthen muscles & improve coordination, balance, endurance

  • Work independently, problem solve, follow directions

Join us at either park, bring gloves and wear closed-toed shoes. No experience required. If its your first time to volunteer with us, please bring a filled-out copy of the city’s volunteer application.

We look forward to gardening with you!

Our Collaborations

Casa de Amma

Is a private residential facility for 35 adults with disabilities.

Goin Native has seen the garden attendance by residents grow by 70% this year. 

We’ve added more sensory connections in the weekly garden lesson. The residents now enjoy a surprise happy hour of fresh fruit and healthy snacks each week along with listening to their favorite tunes for a sing along. We’ve introduced animal therapy in the mix of offerings as The Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo bring over reptiles, a tortoise or other small creatures for residents to view, hold or touch.

Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC)

Each week at Children's Hospital of Orange County Goin Native provides children ages 10-17 with small gardens to tend and garden related activities while staying at the Mental Health Inpatient Clinic at CHOC.

Since 2021, Goin Native's Horticulture program educator Kristen Colvin, has offered children struggling with mental health issues a space for hope, curiosity, an opportunity to learn life lessons: that through nurturing plants, they too are nurturing themselves.

Goin Natives impact at CHOC has increased by 20% this year with more students in our twice weekly zoom garden program thanks to our compassionate care-plant expert, Kristen, who engages each child with love and sends a message that community cares.