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Celebrating Youth this National Volunteer Week

“In the education I've been given, you don't actually learn too much about food systems in the depth that I've had the opportunity to experience in interviews. I'm really grateful for that as well because now I can think more deeply about subjects of food systems and also career paths in food systems as well.”

Food Leader Interview Series volunteer

“Even though I learned about climate change or how food systems are impacted at school, I feel like it was very surface level, but with my posts, I was able to learn so much more. I feel like my lifestyle definitely changed.”

Social Media Content Creation volunteer

“The program definitely gives you a chance to look at a wide range of potential jobs or careers. There are so many careers in the food system industry that aren't really well known because the systems are so big and there are so many jobs that are needed to sustain it. The program gives you a chance to experience and learn about lots of them.”

Blog Team volunteer

As of this month, it has been three years since the launch of Youth in Food Systems (YFS), the hybrid youth program that has become a major component of what Seeds of Diversity does. When YFS began, we didn’t necessarily have a long-term strategy or vision for the program. Rather, it was a solution to the immediate challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns brought - school closures, online learning, lack of volunteer opportunities for high school students, lack of opportunities for young people to remain connected to each other and with their communities and interests.

Here we are now, three years later and with a program that has become leaps and bounds more meaningful than we could have imagined. And at the heart of it all is… the youth.

Our youth volunteers (a.k.a. “participants”) are what make this program what it is. They are everything: the primary beneficiaries - learning and building skills and exploring careers in food and agriculture - but also the individuals who make the work possible in the first place.

This National Volunteer Week, we are delighted and grateful to have a chance to 1) reflect on the immense accomplishments of our youth volunteers/participants and 2) highlight here for all of you some of the super awesome things they have created recently!

Our youth volunteers who not only volunteered their energy and time but also their fresh, unique, and innovative ideas that make YFS what it is. Our youth volunteers have made a significant impact in sharing knowledge about food systems with their creativity, enthusiasm, and drive, and their efforts have paved the way for a program centered around youth leadership and confidence as the next generation of sustainable food professionals and enthusiasts. From leading the Youth Food Market and the Food Leader Interview Series to creating a plethora of content for the blog and social media, our youth volunteers have been essential to our mission.

Here’s a snapshot of the last year of YFS (April 20, 2023 to April 14, 2024), since our last NVW article:

🌱 More than 100 new high school students joined the program

🌱 Youth participants contributed approximately 1400 recorded community service hours

🌱 Our blog team wrote, edited, designed, and published 102 posts about food systems and sustainability

🌱Our social media team researched and designed 54 posts on our Instagram page, including 4 “IG takeovers”

🌱 Season 3 of the Food Leader Interview Series brought with it 9 new video and audio episodes and (soon to come!) 9 career profiles

🌱 12 Market Leaders led the planning and execution of 8 Youth Food Markets in Waterloo Region, selling and donating over 800 lbs of produce to over 150 individuals and families during summer 2023

And here’s a word from our new Program Manager, Andrew:

“Hey there! I’m Andrew. As a summer staff member back in 2020 & 2023, I’ve had the privilege to experience YFS before and after the program launched. How this program has given youth an opportunity to expand their knowledge, apply their passions, and engage, hands on, in food systems is just awesome! What I think is so important to understand is that these programs; the blog, social media, interviews, markets (and more) aren’t just a course or activity our volunteers check in and out of…no. Every part of these programs are molded by the desires, ideas, and interests of our volunteers. They are molded by how they want to learn and communicate, how they want to impact and benefit their communities and how they want to explore the world around them.

Thank you to all our past, present, and future volunteers for utilizing your creativity to build your skills and benefit those around you; your fellow volunteers, youth and your communities!”

Now, here comes the truly fun part - as many pictures as we can justify putting in here, to tell the bright and inspiring story of our YFS youth. Take a look!