Centre for Minorities Research Podcast
Thank you to Rachael Jefferies for inviting us on to the Centre for Minorities Research Podcast to talk about our work.
The Centre for Minorities Research is based at the University of St Andrews, St Andrews in Scotland, UK. And the centre’s student-led podcast provides a space for students to creatively explore their research interests.
We’re delighted to feature on the first episode of season 2.
“Growing Flowers in the Desert: A Conversation with the Lemon Tree Trust will reveal how one packet of seeds can bring hope to even the most desolate of situations. In this podcast, Rachael Jefferies, a Master of Arts (Honours) student in French and German, explores the power of gardening with Jennie Spears from the Lemon Tree Trust. Discover stories of displaced individuals and see how the act of gardening becomes a common language of dignity between people and a bridge to build community.”
In the 30 minute episode, we answer questions, such as:
- How did it all start? What was the founder’s inspiration for creating the Lemon Tree Trust?
- What plants do people like to grow?
- How can people that have been displaced use their garden space to move on from their previous lives but also to bridge the link between their previous lives and their current situation?
- Would you say you have come across people who are new to gardening, as well as people who have always enjoyed it?
- Is there anything that we can do as listeners to support the vision of the Lemon Tree Trust?
Listen to the podcast episode.
Photo: Roadside Plant Store flowers, Kurdistan Region of Iraq © Britt Willoughby Dyer
Many thanks to Megan Davis at Perennial Gatherings for her generous donation this May, the latest in a series of kind contributions to Lemon Tree Trust over the years. Perennial Gatherings is a Vancouver-based floral studio and social enterprise, specialising in thoughtfully curated arrangements made with locally grown, seasonal blooms. Profits from floral sales are … Continued
Each month, our teams visit home gardens across nine camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to select a Garden of the Month winner. This April, we are delighted to celebrate nine gardeners whose creativity, commitment and passion for growing have transformed the spaces around their home shelters. Why the award matters In camps where … Continued
This spring, Othman Qewas, our Hêvî Community Garden manager, has been visiting schools in Gawilan camp, distributing tree and flower seedlings to children and introducing Lemon Tree Trust’s work to a new generation of young growers. Othman visited all five primary schools in Gawilan camp in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, reaching 124 pupils. At … Continued