YOUTH FOOD MARKET
Youth-LED, Accessible produce stalls
The Youth Food Market is back for 2025, and we’re looking for high school aged youth to join us as Market Leaders and Garden Leaders this season!
Youth aged 14 to 19 in Waterloo Region are invited to apply for these volunteer leadership roles running May to August 2025. Garden Leaders grow food in one of our six school gardens, while Market Leaders help plan and run our youth-led food markets — learn more in the application form below!

The Youth Food Market is a series of youth-led, accessible produce stalls that run each summer in Waterloo Region.
This initiative aims to support local food systems and food accessibility while providing skill building and leadership opportunities to youth.

From 2021 to 2024, 40 youth Market Leaders led a total of 25 Market days, selling and donating more than 2500 lbs of produce to 340+ customers and five local food initiatives in Waterloo Region.
In 2024 alone, 10 youth Market Leaders contributed 135 hours to carrying out 11 Market days in Kitchener, selling 625lbs of produce and donating an additional 300lbs. We continued working alongside SWRIL’s Nurture project to enable youth food production at 15 school garden sites, while continuing partnerships with several local farms and community organizations.
Now, for 2025, we are continuing to grow as we introduce a third Market location, this time in Cambridge! We are also working singehandedly this season to continue youth-led food production efforts at six school garden spaces in Kitchener and Cambridge, and reimagining community engagement and food systems learning through field trips and workshops all season long!
2025 MARKET DATES & LOCATIONS:
For 2025, the Youth Food Market will be taking place weekly at three locations from mid-July to late August:
Eastwood Collegiate Institute
Tuesdays from 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Beginning July 15th and ending August 26th.
760 Weber St. W
Kitchener, ON. N2H 1H6
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Victoria Hills Community Centre
Wednesdays from 4:00-6:00
Beginning July 16th and ending August 27th.
10 Chopin Dr.
Kitchener, ON. N2M 2G2
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Rare Eco Centre
Thursdays from 3:00-6:00
Beginning July 17th and ending August 28th.
768 Blair Rd.
Cambridge, ON. N3H 4R8
2025 PROJECT FUNDERS








OUR FARM PARTNERS
Each year, our farm partners collectively provided about 75-80% of the total produce sold and donated at the Markets. Huge thanks to them for offering produce at reduced cost in order to make this project happen! Click on each of their logos below to learn more about them.
From June to August 2024, our youth Market Leaders met biweekly on Mondays for collaborative planning sessions alongside support staff. These get togethers are used as a space for project development, utilizing a wide range of skills in logistics, finance, marketing, coordination, and leadership. During and outside of these sessions, they do all of the things that need to be done in order for the Market to run:
Farm partner outreach and ordering
Garden produce tracking
Market table materials ordering
Local grocery store pricing research
Social media post design
. . then, of course, come the Market days themselves!
The Market is designed and priced with a focus on affordability and accessibility within the community. For the first in 2024, piloted a pay-what-you-choose model! In past years, produce had fixed prices based on market research.
Remaining and excess produce in 2024 was donated to House of Friendship and the Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre.
A BIG THANKS TO ALL OF OUR 2024 PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS:
This Project is Made Possible by Outstanding Youth Market Leaders!
Youth in Food Systems has actively engaged over 450 volunteers with food systems projects within Ontario since spring 2021.
The Youth Food Market is a youth-created initiative providing fresh, locally grown and affordably priced produce to the community, while giving young people the opportunity to understand and apply business and agricultural concepts.
2021 & 2022 GALLERY
Watch the video below for a recap of our 2021 season:
This video was created by makeyourpictrue & getme2grafin. Get in touch with them if you’re in need of some amazing, local video creation!