About
Gardens 4 Joy is an initiative at Queen’s University that aims to help foster the wellbeing of students, faculty, and staff through gardens and gardening. Based on her research and decades of experience creating and savouring gardens, Dr. Maha Al Makhamreh founded this initiative and successfully implemented it in the spring of 2024. Thanks to a big team of believers in positive change, the initiative went above and beyond and continues to thrive.
In her workshops, Maha combines her research with her lived experience to provoke powerful questions, meaningful reflections, and deeper thinking about flourishing gardens and flourishing people.
See Maha’s Nurturing Gardens art piece at the Queen’s Imagines the Future Festival here:
https://www.educarts.ca/webinar-registration
You can see some pictures of Maha’s family gardens on her personal Instagram page: [maha_gardens]
Read Maha’s publication on savoring:
Savoring Good Times: How Do Canadian Doctoral Students Maintain Their Wellbeing?
Abstract
Studies have shown that doctoral students are at risk of mental health issues that result from the demands and workload in doctoral programs, poor work relationships with supervisors, and delays in graduation. Research also shows that savoring good moments can help individuals maintain and foster their wellbeing. Drawing on data from a larger phenomenological research study (Al Makhamreh, 2019), this chapter presents a discussion of the importance of savoring for wellbeing based on findings from 19 doctoral students in Canadian universities. Findings demonstrate that numerous students were able to face the challenges in their doctoral programs by savoring happy moments that benefited their wellbeing and fueled their energy to keep going to achieve their goals. Recommendations for universities include offering students courses, training, interventions, and workshops on savoring and positive psychology in general. Additionally, providing savoring outlets and opportunities (e.g., gardens and gardening activities) could help students maximize their program experiences and satisfaction.
All pictures on this website have been captured by Maha