Urban Growers
The City has participated in the Youth Challenge International’s Innovate MY Future program as a municipal partner for two years. Through the Innovate MY Future program, Canadian youth across the GTHA have the opportunity to take action on local climate issues and design youth-led projects to make a real difference in their communities.
In 2021/2022 the City provided support to a youth group called the Urban Growers. Learn more about the group and their initiative below.
Who are the Urban Growers?
They are 4 university students highly passionate about the environment and their communities. Combining these interests drove them to be part of the climate action program Innovate MY Future, which supports young adults in designing a local project aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. They decided to focus on the topic of local food and pollinators.
View the Urban Growers poster to learn more about them and their project.
Why do they care?
Their research has shown:
- Eating food grown locally is better for the environment than going to the grocery store
- Pollinators take part in 80% of our food reproduction! This means that we rely on bees, butterflies, birds, beetles, bats, and more for nearly all the food we eat.
- Since the start of the pandemic, Vaughan community gardens have seen a dramatic spike of interest and could not support all potential gardeners. To remedy this, many events, documents, and information popped up online.
- Digital platforms are not accessible to everyone, especially the elderly
- Community gardens in the GTA are typically overcrowded, inaccessible, and/or lack a collective/friendly atmosphere
- Gardening in general brings a variety of mental and physical health benefits, and community gardens add a social element as well. Many gardeners refer to time with their crop and fellow citizens as an escape from everyday stress.
So, what did they do?
They chose to target a demographic that are typically excluded during events, while also allowing them to gain interest in local food and pollinator-friendly plants. They also wanted to capitalize on the growing interest in urban agriculture due to COVID-19 and keep this interest going past the pandemic.
They purchased seeds from local suppliers, created beginner-friendly content, and partnered with Vaughan to distribute the seeds across the community. They intend to bring the audience into the process by giving out seeds for them to garden on their own because as Aristotle famously said, "What we have to learn, we learn by doing." The sole intent is to spread the message of environmental education and care.
Did you receive an Urban Growers seeds pack? Please refer to the proper planting and growing instructions.
What can YOU do?
The Urban Growers created three pamphlets to help their community get started in gardening.
Tell everyone what you learned, and why it is important. They hope to show you that gardening is simple, healthy, and great for the environment!