Community Education - Rochester, Minnesota

Join us for some fun in a botanical garden setting! Olmsted County Master Gardeners invite you to join them at the S.M.A.R.T. (Sustainable, Medicinal, Artistic, Resourceful, Therapeutic) Garden for a tour and gardening education. Enjoy talking to experts about perennial gardens and their care. Walk through the garden and connect with like-minded local gardeners. After the tour, there will be time to paint a rock for your home garden or to leave at our garden rock exchange area in the S.M.A.R.T. Garden. Each class date centers around a new topic - for example, butterflies and monarch life cycles. Since this class will have a new focus each week, you can sign up for all three sections to learn about them all! This is an outdoor class, so be sure to dress for the weather. Provided by University of Minnesota Extension and Olmsted County Master Gardeners.

This four-week class covers basic wheel-throwing techniques. The studio provides practice clay for your use, and all tools are included in the class fee. This class focuses on learning to throw, and most pots will be cut in half for evaluation. You will work on centering, throwing cylinders, bowls, and bottles. No prior experience is required!

This online training session is required for adults who want to volunteer at events listed in Rochester Community Education's LGBTQ+ Youth Summer Calendar. Volunteers only need to attend one of the training sessions offered. Bake Off Judges Adults who want to be judges at the Great Rainbow Bake Off (and will not volunteer at other events) are not required to complete this training. Simply show up at Dakota Middle School at 3:15-4:30 PM on Saturday, August 16th, 2025. How to Participate Choose your preferred training session and click "Enroll Now" on this page. Each training session will feature the same content. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a Google Meet link for the online training session. You must complete a volunteer background check through Rochester Public Schools. Who can volunteer? Adults over the age of 18. Adults who identify as LGBTQ+ are encouraged to volunteer. Why are volunteers needed? Since 2019, the Minnesota Student Survey has found that LGBTQ+ youth in Minnesota are substantially more likely to experience risks to their wellbeing than their peers, including increased risk of negative mental health symptoms, increased risk of suicide and self-harm, and decreased academic engagement. This research has also found that these risks are reduced for youth with certain protective factors such as supportive friends, parents, teachers, and community members. Volunteers in the LGBTQ+ Summer Calendar program have an opportunity to introduce a protective factor for local youth. What do volunteers do at events? Volunteers participate in activities alongside youth and engage them in conversations. During some events, adults also provide help performing tasks that may be new for youth, such as cooking and baking within a time limit. When are volunteer opportunities? The event calendar can be found on the Community Education Youth Enrichment website. The number of volunteers required at each event varies. Time Commitment One required training session and any number of events. Communicate to the trainer which events you would like to attend. About the Youth Youth participating in the events are entering grades 6-12. Many identify as LGBTQ+. Contact Information Josh Halverson Coordinator of Community Partnerships Rochester Community Education johalverson@rochesterschools.org