Youth in Sudbury area learning an important life skill
From pruning plants to creating the perfect compost, a group of youths in Hanmer are getting first-hand experience at all things agricultural.
“So far I’ve learned many things,” said 16-year-old Noah Lachance. “I’ve learned how to compost, how to prune tomato plants for an example, how to identify different kinds of weeds and pests of bugs and things like that.”
It’s part of a new Youth Agricultural Mentors program (YAM) that is helping teach life skills to the next generation.
“High school aged youth are really waking up to the problems with pollution and climate change and it can make you feel really anxious and sometimes hopeful,” said youth program co-lead Kryslyn Mohan.
“But when we have the skills to grow our own food and food for our community, we can help to develop a more resilient community.”
YAM is the first of its kind this year after the program received $56,900 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2019. However, Sudbury Shared Harvest has been helping connect the community and nature for much longer.
“I started working here at Sudbury Shared Harvest when I was 16 years old and I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future,” said Kaelyn Charron. “I think being a part of something like this can help inspire other kids and students that don’t know necessarily what they want to go into in the future.”
Charron said she was surprised to learn that a job like this could be a career.
"I never thought that something like this could be possible and it taught me how to work with the community and really love the food that I’m eating and be more mindful about what I’m eating,” she said.
Officials said the program is about much more than just gardening.
“Day-to-day programming looks like an energizer or a team builder in the morning and then we might do a little bit of a stretch or a breath together, just to get grounded for our day,” said Mohan.
It also includes monthly webinars with the Sudbury Public Library and field trips to local gardens and farms so young people get to experience a variety of agriculture practices.
“It’s really fun and you learn a lot of things from all of it and it’s really worth it,” said Lachance.
Four weeks into the new program, officials said they're optimistic it will return next year with a new crop of students to grow their skills.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.