About the Youth Impact Project
The Youth Impact Project (YIP) is a collaboration between the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region (CYPT) and Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab (SWRIL).
On June 8, over 100 youth from 15 local organisations pitched their ideas to a panel of nine youth. The Youth Decision-Making Panel (“The Dragons”) decided which projects would receive funding to make their idea a reality. The Youth Impact Project looks to fund youth who are addressing local challenges which are identified through the 2023 Youth Impact Survey results. The funded projects include a focus onsupporting youth mental and physical health, increasing feelings of belonging,and responding to climate change and food insecurity.
Youth will be working on their projects until December. We’re featuring each of the 12 projects!
The Welcoming Table
Who pitched the project?
Asiya Ali and Samira Nur, supported by the Somali Canadian Association of Waterloo Region (SCAWR).
What problem are you addressing in Waterloo Region?
<p”>According to data from the Children and Youth Planning Table’s 2023 Youth Impact Survey, 1 in 7 young people in Waterloo Region (15%) go to school or bed hungry. This is a 10% increase from the 2021 Youth Impact Survey.
Compared to 2021 data, there was a 10% increase in youth respondents who said that air and water quality was good. Climate change can exacerbate food insecurity by affecting crop yields and food availability, leading to increased rates of malnutrition among children (IPCC, Climate Change and Land, 2019). Food insecurity and the stress associated with it can lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression among youth (AAP Report on Food Insecurity, 2021).
What are you going to do with the money?
<p”>Harvest to Garnish is dedicated to combating food insecurity and promoting ecological sustainability through interactive cooking and gardening workshops in Summer 2024. We begin with gardening in the afternoon and cooking in the evening. Participants will be led by cooking and gardening instructors who will guide their hands-on learning through cooking their own meals and tending to the vegetables they grow.
Workshops will begin on Thursday, August 8 (ages 12-14) and Friday, August 9, 2024 (ages 15-17) from 5 to 8 PM at the Kitchener Market.
We will be using raised garden beds on the Kitchener Market’s Piazza to grow a variety of vegetables (courtesy of the KW Community Fridge), and a large commercial kitchen to cook beautiful meals. We’ll be cooking culturally relevant dishes from Arab to East-African cuisine.
We want to promote sustainability in three ways: environmental, social and – one day – economic. Through empowering low-income youth, Harvest to Garnish will raise our youth to be culinary and ecologically literate to better our community beyond this six-week program, to ultimately work towards a brighter future for Waterloo Region.