Blog  August 22, 2011

New Canadian Youth + Nature = Great

Mulching Madness with Immgrant Youth Centre Volunteers, Markham (Photo: Evergreen)

On a very hot day this summer, volunteers from the Immigrant Youth Centre in Markham had the opportunity to lend a hand in their local parks, helping take care of newly planted trees. Mostly high school students, the youth learned first-hand about being active members of their community as part of a leadership camp led by Amir Akbari. Amir shares a little about their story with us here:

Why?: We wanted the youth to learn and participate in something tangible to do with environmental awareness with a chance to earn community service hours. This opportunity was a perfect fit.

What we did: The group helped to mulch about 100 trees in 2 parks in Markham, helping the trees to survive their first few years.

Snapshot: These newcomer youth are just starting to find their way into Canadian society—getting settled, learning the ropes and going to school—a few had been in Canada for less than a month. For some, this experience was their first out in a park and it was great to see how they connected to the community.

Before: Many of the youth were hesitant at first and there were complaints about the heat and hard work—this was a very new experience for many of them!

After: I could see that they felt proud of what they’d accomplished and had a deeper appreciation of what it takes to make things happen and how important their contributions are.

Looking ahead: This was a great experience and we’ll be encouraging them to come out and volunteer again!

Get involved with planting and stewardship activities in Markham and other parts of the GTA this fall. Just look for the shovels and sign up!