The Cultura Hope Community Garden is a safe and inclusive space where individuals and families from migrant, asylum seeker and refugee backgrounds in Geelong are able to participate in garden based outdoor activities, deepen their knowledge and understandings of gardening and the local environment and form meaningful connections with the wider community. Many individuals from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds arrive in Australia with lived experiences that are often traumatic and unique. They face many barriers to participating in the broader community, including:

• culture and language
• financial and family
• perceived safety risks in their new environment
  

The Hope Community Garden Inclusivity Project aims to enhance the accessibility and participation in the garden by constructing twelve new raised wicking garden beds in collaboration with the Geelong Community Men’s Shed.
Constructed from Cypress Macrocarpa sleepers, these raised garden beds will provide an inclusive space for individuals from a migrant, refuge and asylum seeker background with mobility challenges, including seniors and people living with disabilities.
The project will foster community connection, skill development, and social inclusion while promoting sustainable gardening practices. By improving accessibility, the project will enable more people to engage in gardening, supporting mental and physical well-being in a safe and welcoming environment.