This hands-on workshop invites participants to reconnect with the earth and nurture their well-being through the act of planting. Beginning with a moment of intention setting, the session will explore the deep spiritual and scientific connections between gardening and mental health.
Through an Islamic and ecological lens, facilitators will guide participants to reflect on how cultivating the soil mirrors cultivating the heart; with patience, presence, and trust in Allah’s timing. Participants will then engage in a guided planting activity using seedlings, giving them a chance to pause, reflect, and connect with nature in a peaceful and purposeful way.
The workshop will close with a group reflection circle and a collective du’a, grounding the experience in gratitude and hope.
Mahmoud Sammak has spent the past 17 years guiding secondary students in Islamic schools. At the Australian International Academy, he progressed from Maths Teacher to Head of Faculty, IB Diploma Coordinator, and in 2022, Deputy Head of Campus.
Mahmoud, as an educator, sees schools as vibrant gardens where each student is a unique plant with distinct needs, potentials, and rhythms of growth. In this metaphorical garden, educators, parents, and community members are the dedicated carers, nurturing, watering, and tending to the diverse learners with patience and care.
The richness of this garden lies in its diversity: some students bloom early, others later, but all contribute to the ecosystem. Even the weeds, those challenges, disruptions, or behaviours often seen as obstacles, are not burdens but opportunities for growth and reflection.
Jenan is an educator with over five years of experience and is currently completing a Master of Teaching. She is passionate about education that is participant-led and grounded in object-based pedagogies.
When she is not teaching, she enjoys gardening as a hobby that keeps her connected to nature.