Page updated:
Friday, 7 September 2007

PEOPLE making a difference - Jan Penklis...

Gardeners behind bars

Jan spoke about her work with Russ Grayson...

Russ: Working with prisoners sounds like a challenging task. How did you get involved?

Jan: When I first started teaching Horticulture with TAFE Padstow early in 1994 I was asked to run a short basic horticulture course at Macquarie Fields TAFE with some ex-offenders.

My short time with these female and male students showed me that this was a very positive way of helping people start to realise that getting an education, especially in something that they really liked to do, was at least one way of helping them assimilate back into the workforce and, hopefully, keep them out of the dole queues, dealing with illegal substance abuse and maybe lessen the likelihood of re-offending.

Due to the feedback from that college I was then asked if I would consider teaching, through TAFE, in a female detention centre in Sydney. So, without hesitation, I said I would give it a go.

Nearly eight years on I am still there... I also have run programmes at Emu Plains, a minimum security prison for women, and horticulture for one year and Permaculture (an ecological design system that includes organic food production) for six months. I am no longer there and am at present working with the men in the Special Programmes Unit at Long Bay.

I have been approached by the Berrima Centre, which will house female inmates this year, to run a horticulture program and a site that I have been shown has been set aside for a potential organic veggie garden and for poultry.

The interesting thing is that due to my inmates undertaking the Permaculture module they have discovered that they really enjoy working in the garden and learning how nature plays a huge role in the success of their garden. It has also taught them a lot about how they fit into the scheme of things.

Russ: How and when did you become involved in the Permaculture design system?

Jan: After working in a corporate environment for 24 years I had had enough of the stresses. As a partner in a garden maintenance business I decided that it was time to learn more about the business I was partly responsible for, so I enrolled at Padstow TAFE in an Advanced Certificate in Urban Horticulture in 1986. I then backed up to complete an Associate Diploma Applied Science, Landscape.

Working side by side with my husband in our gardening business in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, I found that I had a very low tolerance to chemicals used in maintaining gardens. A solution had to be found... I bought a copy of the Permaculture International Journal which I found in a newsagents and started to buy books with organic remedies for use in the garden.

I looked up Robyn Francis and asked her if she would like to do a workshop at the Australian Institute for Horticuture conference if we paid all her expenses. Luckily enough, she accepted and during the conference we had a chat. It was then that I decided that it was time to join her next course in January 1997. She has become my mentor since that time. Last year I received my Diploma in Permaculture Education of which I am extremely proud

Russ: How are you received by the inmates?

Jan: I have and always have had a great relationship with all the inmates that I am privileged to work with. I know that care, trust, kindness, consideration and respect seem to be the things that they respond to. Many who return for whatever reason will come back to my classes and continue working with me. I can honestly say that I have never had a problem with anyone. It fills me with joy to be able to assist them even in a small way.

Russ: What do the inmates get out of your work?

Jan: This is fairly hard to answer in that it is hard to know what people are thinking, however I see them take pride in their achievements and their self-esteem grows.

They begin to realise that they are capable of doing things they never thought that they were capable of or have never been motivated or stimulated enough to attempt. They start to believe in themselves and realise that they have the ability to learn because they like what they are involved in.

The garden has created a space where they feel comfortable, peaceful, where they can learn while they have some fun while getting much-needed exercise. Their studies and practical work give them a focus and a purpose. It is so gratifying to see my students grow so much and take such pride in their achievements. The fact that they want to keep studying and those who return to classes is evidence that my work does make some difference.

Russ: Do you think that there will be some lasting benefits to the inmates?

Jan: It is very hard to tell, however there is evidence to suggest that most take something with them. A few have gained employment in the horticulture industry and to the best of my knowledge are still working in the field. Others now have the basic knowledge to be able to provide clean, healthy food for their families... some have realised the importance of the environment and how their quality of life is affected by the state of it. Some have quite large rural properties and are looking at starting production nurseries.

Russ: What has been the attitude of the prison management and staff to your work?

Jan: It goes without saying that without the support of the various governors and their staff, these programmes would not exist.

The cooperation between TAFE and AEVTI (Adult Education and Vocational Training Institute - the educational arm of Corrective Services) and the management, overseers and officers of all the correctional centres is extremely good and has assisted many inmates to have the opportunity to receive an education that they may not have had previously. This is an aspect of the Corrective Services that I feel many are unaware of.

If, as a teacher/ trainer, you have the opportunity to be involved in working in prisons I feel that you should at least have a go.

Russ: Have you ever felt threatened?

Jan: I have never, in all the years teaching in a correctional centre, ever been put in a situation that I felt threatened. I trust my students implicitly. I thoroughly enjoy my work and I am sure that if others were given the opportunity they would feel the same way.

Russ: What do you do with the inmates? What would a typical session include?

Jan: A typical session relies on dealing with many variables... one has to be very, very flexible and pretty much ‘think on your feet’ in some circumstances. Sessions can be interrupted for a variety of reasons, so your lesson plan can be blown out of the water, so to speak.

The emphasis is mainly on practical work, dependent on weather conditions. I have found that working in the garden is both therapeutic and an excellent learning environment. ‘Doing’ is a great way of learning and assists with recall.

To see smiles return to their faces and have fun while learning just ‘makes my day’. The energies that I give are given back to me threefold and make my job easier and the best that I could have.

Keeping the sessions fairly informal and as interesting as possible assists students to assimilate into a learning environment where they feel comfortable... keeping in mind that many have left the education system at quite an early age.

Assessment is through practical work, work sheets and producing a Permaculture garden concept. The main emphasis is on urban edible gardens due to the fact that most students come from a city environment. Most have families and are on extremely low incomes, so being able to provide even the smallest amount of food is a definite plus, both economical and health-wise.

Russ: What do you get out of the work? Are you funded? Do you receive psychological satisfaction? What?

Jan: I am employed by TAFE Southern Sydney Institute, Padstow Campus, and am contracted through TAFE by AEVITI to teach in the prison complexes. I teach both horticulture and Permaculture.

What do I get out of my work? It is extremely difficult sometimes, teaching in this type of environment. However my satisfaction, energy and motivation come through to the students involved. Their achievements, changes in attitudes, rising self-esteem and the enjoyment from what they are learning is inspiration enough for me. To see smiles return to their faces and have fun while learning just ‘makes my day’. The energy that I give is given back to me threefold and makes my job easier and the best that I could have. I am one of those fortunate people who has been given the opportunity to do something that I feel is worthwhile.

Russ: Is working with prison populations something that you would recommend to other horticulturists?

Jan: Definitely!

As you are already aware, sometimes it is not the easiest job in the world but the benefits of these types of programmes are many for all that are involved.

The great thing about these fields is that work can be done outdoors and many are stimulated to learn for that reason. If, as a teacher/ trainer, you have the opportunity to be involved in working in prisons I feel that you should at least have a go. I know that there are those who find it a little difficult to cope with the ‘locked door behind you’ syndrome but that is a psychological thing that can be dealt with.

Russ: How has the work affected your thinking about people in prison?

Jan: To be honest, prior to working in this environment I never really gave it much thought.

Working closely with inmates has certainly stimulated me to maybe understand a little better about the circumstances that may lead people onto this pathway. It is not on my agenda to judge but to educate and assist those inmates who wish to make a better life for themselves and their families when returning to their communities.

Russ: What does the future hold for your work?

Jan: It is always hard to tell what the future holds. At the moment things are looking good. I am preparing for the 2002 year for three of these programmes.

Russ: What about an anecdote?

Jan: The one that comes to mind is to do with the young chickens that were born at Mulawa about 18 months ago. Mother hen had four babies, one female and three males. Unfortunately the female passed on to the great chook yard in the sky while the three males grew into three young cockerels... three stroppy young males.

As they matured they, of course, started to try to dominate each other and our rooster, Ralph. As you can guess this caused quite a stir. Ralph was having none of this and tried to pull his chicks into line, but failed. The fighting between the young blokes increased until we had no choice but to put them in ‘segro’ (segregate them) from each other until such times as they could be ‘transfered’ out of the centre.

The compost boxes (three of them) were covered with chicken wire ( the boxes were open at the front) and the cockerels deposited into their ‘cells’. The word was put out and homes were found for them and they were transferred out of the centre. What a drama!

Jan Penklis and husband Ross operate Just Gardening, a garden design and maintenance service in Sydney.

Jan Penklis: justgardening@optusnet.com.au