We are working towards a new course for 2022.  We are currently evaluating all courses to adapt to the changing situation and we will post an update as soon as possible.  Thank-you for your interest and patience.  

Learn how to grow, use and transform a few common medicinal plants over this introduction to herbal medicine course.  Taking place at the Loyola City Farm School Herbalist Garden over the course of 4 and a half months. Students will learn the basics of how to grow, harvest, preserve, transform and apply some common herbs such as Yarrow, Raspberry Leaf, Lemon Balm, Marshmallow, Lavender, St-Johns Wort, Comfrey and more. We will also learn how to make, salves, balms, tinctures, throat lozenges, syrups and suppositories to name a few.

This course is designed for newcomers to the study of herbalism, as the classes are designed to start with the basics and build on that knowledge. If you already have spent a good deal of time learning about medicinal plants and have practiced transformations previously, then this school may not be ideal for you.  But if you are interested in learning the basics of perennial gardening, discussing issues of health and how systemic oppression impacts health indexes, and looking at some of the basics of physiology, botany and energetics, then this course will be a great stepping stone towards those goals.

As an organization that works the land of unceded Indigenous territory, we honor and acknowledge those who have historically stewarded and continue to steward this land. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters of Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal, known as a gathering place for many First Nations, including the omàmiwininì or Algonquin people. As a program that centers health and environmental justice, an ongoing dialogue and understanding of the consequences of colonialism are absolutely essential to this learning process.

The program is divided into two main components – Education and Apprenticeship.

EDUCATION

Workshops

This series of workshops is designed to familiarize student with the main theories, concepts and practices of herbalism and body systems.  The workshops will be presented by a number of experienced herbalists.  The goals of these workshops are to help add depth to the practical training provided in the internship.

*Some of the topics listed below might switch, and some dates are subject to change. All dates will be settled by the time we run interviews for the program and will be updated immediately online if date changes do need to happen. 

*There are 2 holiday weeks scheduled when students are not required to do shifts. These weeks will be July 1st to July 7th and August 19th to August 25th. Some small changes may be made to the workshop topics.

APPRENTICESHIP

All students must fulfill a predetermined number (60) of apprenticeship hours plus host a student-led workshop, open to and free for the public.   Apprenticeship hours are made up of garden shifts and transformation shifts.  Hours spent in workshops do not count towards the total number of apprenticeship hours. The schedule will be made with you, and will not fluctuate, allowing you to plan vacation time and work around the garden. During your apprenticeship, you will work with other members of the school to manage the Loyola Medicinal Garden.

Greenhouse & Kitchen Shifts

From June through October, when the snow melts and the soil thaws, students begin work at the Loyola Medicinal Garden in NDG. During weekly garden shifts students will work directly with the CFS coordinators on the upkeep of the garden, and, as a compliment to the full workshop schedule, our staff will offer a series of “mini-workshops” in the garden.  During the mini-workshops we will focus on some key technical skills, taking advantage of the smaller garden shift groups.  In addition, hours will be spent learning how to dry and transform herbs for specific functions. The weekly shift, completed by the middle of October, will amount to 45 hours in total. To reach the full 60 hours, apprentices need to complete 15 additional hours through their free public workshop and the creation of medicines to be made for donations determined by the group. 

Students must select one of the following weekly sessions and commit to it for the entirety of the program:

APPLICATION:

It is with a heavy heart that we have to change our programming for the summer of 2020. Due to University construction happening very close to our garden space throughout the spring, summer and fall, our gardens won’t be viable spaces to teach in and we will have to cancel our first year offering this season. We are working on developing some alternative programs such as a 2-week intensive during construction holidays in July, but please join the Concordia Greenhouse newsletter to find out more as we move forward. 

COST: $ 500 (can be paid in installments) What does the cost cover? The fee covers the cost of the 7 workshops, reading materials, transformation supplies, as well as the training you will receive from the CFS coordinators.

BURSARIES: We are offering a bursary program for those who need financial assistance. We don’t want cost to be a limiting issue for interns, so we are working to develop a sustainable model to help those who need support financially. Please download and fill out this bursary application form and email it to cityfarmschool.media@gmail.com