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Community Direction

First Nations Garden Chicago Illinois Community Chi-Nations Youth Council Statement

Ceremonial Disclaimer

The First Nations Garden offers ceremonial space and medicinal plants for people. We do not provide ceremonial or spiritual advice or lead any ceremonies, nor do we have permission to share how to use medicinal plants. We encourage you to seek advice and guidance from your elders and spiritual leaders.

Statement on the American Indian Center

Go to the post Statement: The American Indian Center and the First Nations Garden to read the statement regarding the American Indian Center of Chicago and the First Nations Garden.

Community Safety Protocol

The First Nations Garden maintains a zero-tolerance policy for individuals who have committed severe offenses, such as sexual assault or child molestation. Such individuals are never allowed in the garden.

For individuals accused of other forms of harm, we uphold a victim-centered approach, emphasizing the safety and well-being of victims. These individuals are given the opportunity to admit to their actions, take responsibility, and develop an action plan for reintegration into the community, provided that their offenses are not among the aforementioned severe offenses.

We prioritize the needs and decisions of the victims, allowing them to determine how, when, and if their abuser is allowed into the garden. We offer a path for growth and change while maintaining a strong focus on the well-being of our community.

Accessibility

The First Nations Garden acknowledges an unequal distribution of nature in the city of Chicago. We also acknowledge that our current space is inaccessible to many people with limited mobility or who use mobility aids. The garden ground is uneven, containing multiple dips, and when it rains, it gets slippery. Our entrance is located in the alley, further complicating accessibility and navigation. While cleanup is an ongoing effort, the garden still contains building rubble throughout, including fence posts, making leveling areas difficult.

We envision a more accessible garden space with our renovation that will include raised garden beds that will be wheelchair accessible and extended pathways that allow access to seating areas and fire pits.

Land-centered approach

A land-centered or land-based approach means we live in an environment, and the primary benefactor of our actions should be the land. We allow space for insects, arachnids, birds, and various diverse animal species to thrive. We accept and expand our understanding that people won’t always have first dibs on food and medicine grown in our garden.

When we started, we knew the soil would be contaminated, as much of Chicago suffers from toxins in the soil, so our priority is to allow the land space to heal and introduce plants that will help the land on its journey.

During our first assessment of the land, we noticed many invasive eurasian plants that fed on dog waste left to pollute the space. We started by catering to the Native plants that were already growing on the land, removing the invasives and changing the environment so the invasives wouldn’t have all they needed to thrive.

We must consider the stresses living in the city puts on our plants. We keep this in mind when we introduce plants and only introduce them to an environment we believe they can thrive in.