A community garden in Mount Clemens will offer youth involved in the court system a place to do community service, and ideally, lessons and skills they can take with them.
The garden is located outside the juvenile division building in Mount Clemens, the county seat of Macomb County.
Volunteers from the court staff and juvenile offenders will build and tend to it. An agricultural expert from the Michigan State University Extension will instruct the kids as they plant and care for flowers and vegetables. The harvest will be given to local food pantries.
John Foster, chief judge of the Macomb County Circuit Court, says the garden"offers a restorative justice opportunity for youth who have offended against their community. Investing time and energy into a project that teaches valuable life skills and provides food to community members in need gives youth a pathway to rehabilitation. The Circuit Court is proud to be a part of this exciting project."
Source: Macomb County
Writer: Kim North Shine
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