Not everyone is the same kind of advocate, but every student deserves to know what level of activism they are comfortable with, said the program coordinator for the Women’s and Gender Center.

The Women’s and Gender Center will host Planting Seeds of Progress at the Memorial Student Center on Tuesday, March 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Alissa Rookard, program coordinator for the Women’s and Gender Center, said the event is about providing resources to students as well as giving a sense of empowerment.

“Originally, the idea came from I just wanted to empower students and bring attention to the fact that they have the ability to change the things that they see around them if they don’t like what they are seeing,” Rookard said. “The best way for me to illustrate that point and to make it fun and interactive was to bring in an element of gardening.”

The event is a fundraising event for the center, and with a $5 donation, you get your very own wildflower planting kit. Rookard said though donations are appreciated, the event has an abundance of student resources for all those who want to stop by.

“We’ll be doing those quizzes for activism, so if someone is just not in a position where they can give $5, no worries. We’ll still have something for you, and we still have resources available,” Rookard said. “It’s really an event where there’s something for everyone.”

Seble Abiyu, a graduate assistant, said they are so excited to be a part of the event. Abiyu helped with implementation, coordinating the ground-level activities and contributed to how the center was going to conduct the event.

“I’m so excited because you know it’s like two birds with one stone,” Abiyu said. “We’re promoting green development at the same time sexual and reproductive health. It’s so exciting.”

Abiyu said that one of the main goals is to raise awareness and engage with the students, especially with other upcoming events that are hosted by the center. 

“We’re trying to provide a safe and confidential space and a comprehensive service provision point where we can point you to a required service as per your need,” Abiyu said. “It’s honestly for everyone.” 

Rookard said early on the idea of this event that gardening was a core part of it and wanted to bring a little moment of peace into the lives of students.

“I think that tensions in everyday life have been heightened in the last few months, and in my opinion, I find gardening to be an incredibly relaxing and rewarding practice, “ Rookard said. “So, I thought that I could share that with the students on campus, and maybe if they have never tried gardening before, that’s something they can, no pun intended, grow into their own thing.

The funds that are raised from this event are going to be used to provide menstrual products across campus. 

“We already have that campaign going and strong. We have volunteers that come in and pretty much every week help restock bathrooms across campus, but we want to expand that and make sure that is accessible literally across campus,” Rookard said.

The center will be hosting future events that highlight women in gaming, a workshop that is to educate about how to negotiate salary and another event to provide skills for underemployed or unemployed women and explore opportunities.

Soleil Woolard can be contacted at [email protected].