Promoting environmental leadership – a peek into our Youth Stewardship Program

Promoting environmental leadership – a peek into our Youth Stewardship Program

Our youth stewardship program took place over the course of two weeks during the summer season. A number of youth from the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood participated in the annual program which engages young community members in environmental stewardship and conservation projects through hands–on learning opportunities.
Over these two weeks, youth involved in the program had the opportunity to connect with nature through hiking, exploring, and cleaning up the Don Valley Park and ravine systems surrounding our neighbourhood. They also had the chance to visit an Ontarian farm to learn more about our local food systems and agriculture.

The youth stewardship program also allowed youth participants the opportunity to gain new skills through participation in a leadership program led by Toronto Public Health. During theses sessions, the young community members learned about working as a team, speaking in public and making presentations, styles of leadership, as well as advocacy, activism, and education.

What We Learned This Year in the Garden!

What We Learned This Year in the Garden!

With the first day of school fast approaching, our children’s drop-in gardening program is coming to a close. Let’s take a quick look at some of the exciting things we’ve learned this summer!
Some of the veggies we got to enjoy were lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and beans. We also picked and tasted some sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb.
It was a really great way for us to learn about where our food comes from – through playing games, like a farm to plate relay race, we talked about all of the miles our food often travels before we get to eat it!
We also learned about how we can grow our own food locally and the ways that it’s helpful for our pockets, our health, and our environment.

We also got to explore our community garden space this summer, discovering all of the critters and creatures that live in our backyards.

Acting like bees and butterflies as we played pollination tag, we got to learn about why pollination is such an important natural process for nature and for us!
We teamed up and did a bug hunt in the garden, too! Drawing and naming the insects we came across helped us to discover more about how bugs aren’t just creepy or crawly, but do a lot of stuff that helps our food grow healthy and strong!
We also got to work on beautifying our garden, an important task because we learned about what an important community space it is in our urban neighbourhood! We built and decorated recycled bird feeders to attract more animals to our garden, and learned how to weed our plots and cut the grass!
We can’t wait until next spring so we can learn more about the amazing things that can happen in our own backyards here in the Thorncliffe Family Garden!
Photo Recap: Youth Stewardship Program 2017

Photo Recap: Youth Stewardship Program 2017

It’s that time of year again! Our youth stewardship program has returned! Here at the Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee, we’re big on the environment. For that reason, a number of our programs focus on encouraging environmental conservation and sustainability.

This year, we were lucky enough to partner with both the City of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to develop a really engaging and exciting program for our youth.

With the goal of connecting youth from the community with nature, our youth stewardship program gives young community members the opportunity to explore, learn about, and engage with the incredible environment we live in here in Thorncliffe Park!

Some of the programming this year included a hike and trail clean-up in E.T. Seton Park, an interactive workshop on the Don Valley Ravine system, nature photography, and tree stewardship.

Take a look at some of the snapshots from the past week to get a glimpse into this