How can we come together across differences and create brave, nurturing spaces to heal, grow, and make a change in the world? What can the land teach us about belonging and building community?

We invite you to explore these questions in a 3-day hands-on, interactive, and joy-filled experience. Together, we will learn, practice, and adapt the tools and frameworks that make GRuB’s youth and adult programs so personally transformative including group facilitation, empowering communication, and land-based learning. In particular, we will focus on the life cycle of a group, team-building activities, and learn and practice a feedback tool called Real Talk.

The Institute is limited to 25 participants. Lunches, snacks, tea and coffee provided.

Who is the Institute for?  

People who want to bring more personal and community development to their work. Particularly relevant for educators, leaders, team members, outdoor educators, change-makers, community builders, and good trouble-makers.

Cost: $500/person. Registration closes 5/22, contact us directly after this date to inquire about availability.

Cancellation Policy: If you cancel or notify us that you are unable to attend after 5/15, you are eligible for only a 50% refund.

15 Clock Hours Available for teachers attending this training.

If you are interested in a scholarship or subsidized costs to attend, fill out this form before registration.

For group rates and any questions, please email wade@goodgrub.org or call 360.753.5522 and ask for Wade.

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To see what other educational opportunities are coming up, check out our events page.

“What helped me the most was being able to talk to so many different people within this training - so many different viewpoints, perspectives, ideas, and experiences that helped me better understand my faults and it taught me how I can better serve people. ”   -2023 Institute Attendee

“Just being present at the Institute was helpful, hearing from other practitioners. And then I liked the way we would use a technique in the Institute that we could also use with groups and reflect on it afterwards. The reflection conversations were super useful, just listening to others was very powerful.”   -2023 Institute Attendee

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Your facilitators:

Kim Gaffi (she/her) is the co-founder of GRuB and served as Co-Director, Executive Director, and Director of Youth Programs from 1997 through 2019. Kim has led GRuB’s work in building a successful youth empowerment program that engages youth in food justice work. Kim has successfully collaborated with multiple school districts to integrate GRuB’s food justice curriculum and youth development model into area high schools with GRuB-like programs now being offered to students from Capital High School, Olympia High School, and Tumwater School District. She has also helped to launch similar programs through other organizations and agencies throughout the state, such as Cultivating Roots hosted by Grays Harbor Health Department in Aberdeen, WA, and the GRITS program within Eatonville School District. Kim has written Career and Technical Education (CTE) frameworks outlining the curriculum taught in the GRuB School model as well as the Tend, Gather, and Grow curriculum. She graduated from The Evergreen State College with a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development and Bachelor of Science in Urban Ecology. Kim now supports GRuB projects as an independent contractor.

Wade Uyeda (he/him) is an alum of GRuB’s youth programs and returned to join the staff in 2009. For 13+ years, he has immersed himself in GRuB’s youth program model across positions as Farm Manager, CTE Teacher for GRuB School, Youth Programs Manager, and now Program Director. Wade has mentored and taught 300+ Opportunity Youth, trained and supervised 50+ youth alum Farm Coordinators, Farm Assistants, and Peer Crew Leaders, and led 5 AmeriCorps Youth Program Counselors. His equity work includes participating in the VISIONS, Inc. multicultural communication training, serving on GRuB’s Equity Committee, and volunteering as a member of the City of Olympia’s Committee for Reimagining Public Safety. These experiences have influenced the youth programs and staff development training. Wade has assisted in every Institute GRuB has offered in periphery roles, and for the last three Institutes, he co-facilitated. He developed and co-led the first Games Training in February 2023 and again in 2024. Wade is highly skilled in the subject areas, and the relevant tools and strategies offered at the Institute. He has continued to evolve practices in youth programs and brings in other approaches and perspectives from his participation in the national youth food justice network Rooted in Community, and the regional Northwest Youth Garden Network.

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