“It pays off knowing my efforts and strengths went towards making a difference in my neighbourhood”

– Feretterz, Youth participant

Delivered in partnership with Toronto Community Housing and the City of Toronto, Evergreen offers a youth training and community greening program with young people in Toronto’s most under-served neighbourhoods. This program enables young people from each of these communities to participate in planning and implementing a local community improvement and greening project. Teams of youth (who are tenants of TCH buildings) identify a space outside their building that needs cleaning, greening and beautification. They are given a project budget and participate in workshops to help them plan and implement their garden, budget their money, and use the project to develop leadership skills. The journey that participants take is a powerful one because it demonstrates how coordinated and collaborative individual actions can make meaningful and lasting change.

In 2009, more than 100 youth participated in 18 planting projects. This year, the program has expanded to include 26 neighbourhood greening sites, involving about 170 youth. Check out our blog to learn more about the 2010 program launch event at Evergreen Brick Works!