ABRAH DRESDALE

 Abrah Dresdale is a key node in the regional farm and food network. For example, through a three-way partnership — with Greenfield Community College, Just Roots, and the Franklin County Jail — she helped to establish a jail-to-farm-to-college internship program.                                                                                                       - Andy Grant, Just Roots

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It is great that I am leaving with a focused project that I can continue working on when I leave. I feel like there is so much more to learn and so many layers, and this is an exciting feeling...I don’t feel as alone anymore. [Regenerative Design for Change Makers] opened a vortex towards realizing my full potential.                                                                                                                                                               - Victoria Hernandez, Bioneers

CURRICULUM & PROGRAM DESIGN

Do you want to develop innovative educational offerings at your institution or organization? Customized curricula available for:

• workshops

• courses

• certificates

• degree programs

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See examples of select projects below

Overview of Farm and Food Systems Program

This 2-year Associates Degree Program that Abrah developed has won national recognition

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Courses and workshops that have the power to change knowledge

and one's framework for understanding that knowledge

Select Courses and Modules Developed for Institutions of Higher Education & Non-profit Organizations (for a complete list, please see my Curriculum Vitae)

• Regenerative Design for Change Makers, Omega Institute & Regenerate Change

• Ecological Literacy Immersion Program, Omega Institute

• Sustainable Landscape Design Forum, Wesleyan University

• Introduction to Food Systems, Franklin County Jail & Greenfield Community College 

• Introduction to Permaculture, University of Massachusetts

• Social Permaculture for Food Justice University of Massachusetts

• Food in Jewish Sacred Texts, Brandeis University's High School Programs

• Permaculture f.e.a.s.t (for ecological and social transformation) (PDC), Holyoke, MA

• Toolbox for Social Permaculture, Vermont Wilderness School

• Exploring Shmita: Sabbatical Year for the Land, Jewish Farmer Network & Temple Israel-Greenfield, MA

Regenerative Design for Change Makers: The Flagship Program

PROGRAM DESIGN

Customized programs with integrated theoretical and applied frameworks

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Jail-to-Farm-to-College & Employment Program

Franklin County Jail, Greenfield, MA

An integrated program linking incarcerated men with therapeutic, skills-building, and employment opportunities through gardening, farming, food preparation, nutrition classes, cooperative business development, and related credit-bearing college courses  and farm internships.

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Farm & Food Systems Associates Degree Program

Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA (60 credits)

The program explores the broad field of sustainable farming and food systems. Students engage in community partnerships and participate in bioregional efforts to support food security, local economies, and planning for resiliency.  

Farm & Food Systems Certificate Program with Permaculture Landscape Design track

Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA (29 credits) 

Students gain hands-on skills such as food cultivation, design of annual and perennial production systems, season-extension technologies, food preservation, and awareness of food safety rules. Students also learn entrepreneurial skills and develop critical thinking about the intersection of ecological, economic, and social systems as they relate to food and farming. 

Outdoor Education Program for Teenagers

Wild Earth Programs, High Falls, NY

Year-long and summer programs for teenagers to gain knowledge of regional ecologies, develop confidence, and become stewards of the natural world.

EDUCATIONAL

CONSULTING

Collaborate to develop strategies for integrated educational programs at your institution or organization

Previous Educational Consulting Projects for Colleges and Other Institutions

• Franklin County House of Corrections--development of Jail-to-Farm-to-College & Employment Programming, with on-site food production and related college courses

• The Jewish Farm School & Hazon--multi-session conference curriculum planning on Social Permaculture applied to 7-year goals setting for the Siach network of Jewish environmental and social justice leaders

• Greenfield Community College--a Special Projects Report on existing agriculture, food systems, and permaculture degree programs compiled with stakeholder input and recommendations for certificate and degree options that the college could offer

• Central Connecticut River Valley Institute and the city of Greenfield--creation of the Greenfield Food Study involving GCC Student Interns, Greenfield Master Planning Committee, and Greenfield Residents

• Wesleyan University--consultation services for WILD (Working for Intelligent Landscape Design) Wes on development on of 1-acre permaculture garden on campus

• University of Massachusetts, Amherst--program development for a 4-day long national Permaculture Your Campus Conference

• Greenfield Community College--development of public educational permaculture garden and planning document, Permaculture in Practice

Short Documentary on Wesleyan Campus Transformation

Students at Wesleyan University implemented a 1-acre permaculture garden on campus; Abrah led the student leaders through a rigorous design process.