A group of high school students is getting its hands dirty to make a positive impact within their community this summer.
On Tuesday, students from the Young Farmers in Plaid program were eager to show all that they had sown with a farm tour at West Village Community Garden, next to St. Peter’s Catholic School in Guelph.
Since 2014, the West Village Community Development Co-operative has traditionally offered a free summer opportunity for youth from across the city entering or attending high school to come together to grow, maintain and harvest a market garden.
Relaunching this year after being paused during the heart of the pandemic, the summer program has seen some changes.
“Since the market closed, we have shifted and we are now focused more on the community aspect where students can learn how they can help in their own way,” said Young Farmers program coordinator Joy Amyotte.
“And this group hasn't been afraid to jump into the curriculum and get their hands dirty. Even going to harvest kale, they get all excited and rally around that. They’ve been exemplary in showing collaboration and working really well as a team. They might not realize it now, but they are learning a lot.”
This year, students have participated in several excursions within the community, learning from entrepreneurs, farmers and food producers.
Locations include Ignatius Farm, Noki Farms, the Refill Bar, the Dragon, Planet Bean Coffee, Food from Home = Food for Home, 10C Shared Space, the Guelph Farmer’s Market, The SEED, Market Fresh, and the Keg where students participated in food safety training.
The Young Farmers in Plaid Program was developed as a safe learning space to develop employability skills, basic food literacy, food skills, career exploration and personal development such as confidence and friendships.
“The Young Farmers in Plaid Program has allowed me to experience and understand things I never would have before. It opened a lot of doors regarding safety, in both food and street smarts. I would have never known how easy it is to grow your own food and build a community with like-minded people,” said Sydney Johnstone, a student involved with the program.
“Our class learned the hardships of producing food, on a large scale, and saw the different levels of food production, all the way to it being on a store shelf. This was truly a wonderful experience.”
The course is not based in a traditional classroom but on experiential learning. Youth have learned about food systems by working at the West Village Urban Farm located at Castlebury Park and Co-operative Garden, growing and harvesting food items for the weekly food support program assisting over 100 families per week.
The initiative is funded by the West Village Co-op with assistance from the Canada Summer Jobs program.
“This is an opportunity to work on something hands on. I think for many of our students, it is the idea that summer school has limited opportunities, so this is for those who prefer to learn experientially,” said board chair for the Upper Grand District School Board, and West Village Community Development Co-op vice president, Raif Mesenbrink
Derrick Zwart, a Grade 11 student from College Heights Secondary School, says he has enjoyed being out and about in the community.
“I like how in this class we have a lot of trips. But I also like how peaceful it is, outside in nature. We’ve learned how to identify plants, how to grow plants, and the different methods used,” Zwart said.
“I think it’s a great thing to be involved in the community.”
Johnstone says the course offers a unique style of learning for the people who might not 'jive' with the regular system of learning.
“It's just fun, and I get to meet a lot of cool people. And the people I work with, my classmates, are pretty awesome. We decided to host this event because we want to bring acknowledgement to urban gardens. We think they are incredibly important to the community, and food security, is a huge thing today,” Johnstone said.
Youth served homemade lemonade and handed out free seed packages as gifts. Unicorn Scoops was also at the West Village Community Garden serving free cool treats.
Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner was on hand to show his support for the student run gardening initiative.
“I just think it is fantastic to see kids connect with where their food comes from. I’m a big advocate of community gardens,” Schreiner said.
“To see the gardens connected to schools, it engages young people to farming and to contributing to the community. It builds connections and students can understand where their food comes from.”
The West Village Co-op has been offering programs and supports in west Guelph for over 25 years.
“These spaces are so important,” said food system co-op manager, Julian Sivanadian.
“Students can see the work that goes into running a space where the community can come together, as well as the impacts it can have on everyone.”
