Regenerating Aruba’s schoolyards: The story of how a community project took root and keeps growing

Workshop session Regenerating Aruba’s schoolyards: The story of how a community project took root and keeps growing, by Drs. Jantine de Groot (Instituto Pedagogico Arubano) and Rose Barros (Living Soil Aruba).

What happens when schoolyards turn into living classrooms? What changes when children learn with nature instead of just about it? Join Rose Barros and Jantine de Groot as they share the story of Aruba’s food forests—where community, education, and climate resilience meet. 

Jantine de Groot is a teacher at IPA (Instituto Pedagogico Arubano), where she guides future educators in exploring meaningful learning within the Aruban context. In collaboration with Ryan Maduro from CIDE (Centro di Investigacion y Desaroyo di Enseñansa), she conducts research on 21st-century teaching and learning practices. Outside of her academic work, she is actively involved in Aruba’s Syntropic Agroforestry community.  

Rose Barros is the founder of Living Soil Aruba, where she guides individuals, schools, and communities to regenerate land, restore soil, and grow food in harmony with nature. Based in Aruba, her work is rooted in Syntropic Agroforestry and focuses on transforming schoolyards and landscapes into thriving food forests and outdoor classrooms. For Rose, this work is not only about agriculture but about reconnecting people with nature and cultivating abundance for future generations.