Youth Volunteers
“It never felt like a hard core responsibility, it always was something I was extremely passionate about. With the motive to make an impact on youth and the community, not only did I become inspired but everyone slowly became like my second family.”
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Youth Food Market volunteer
“Talking to other volunteers and staff about food systems helped me brainstorm a lot of new ideas and explore a lot of things that I wouldn't have thought about by myself. It also helped me to learn different skills, to be more open minded and learn from others around me.”
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Content Creation volunteer
Here at Youth in Food Systems, our youth volunteers (a.k.a. “participants”) are truly everything. They are the primary beneficiaries of the program, but also the individuals who make the work possible in the first place through 1000+ hours of time each year creating content.
Here’s a snapshot of the last two years (April 2021 to April 2023):
260 high school students have volunteered (a.k.a participated) in the program, contributing 2200 recorded community service hours
As of April 19, 2023 our blog has a total of 250 youth-written posts about food systems and sustainability
Our Instagram has been “taken over” 25 times by youth content creators, who share interesting and helpful posts about food and sustainability with their peers
With the wrap-up of Season 2 of our Food Leader Interview Series in March 2023, the project consists of a total of 16 food leader interviews and 8 career profiles
During summer 2021 and 2022, 26 Market Leaders led the planning and execution of 6 Youth Food Markets in Waterloo Region, selling and donating over 600 lbs of produce to over 100 individuals and families
And here’s a word from our departing Volunteer & Youth Engagement Coordinator, Sam:
“We have the BEST volunteers. Of course, everyone says that- but we truly believe it because… without them, Youth in Food Systems wouldn't exist! We need you to keep the message, the work, and the learning going! So we want to THANK them, every single person involved with any volunteer role. You are the reason for the success of the program, and you are also WHY we do the work.”
Finally, because they say that a picture is worth a thousand words….
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