2024 Youth Food Market - Youth in Food Systems

YOUTH FOOD MARKET

Youth-LED, Accessible produce stalls

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 2023, 30 youth Market Leaders led a total of 14 Market days, selling and donating more than 1600 lbs of produce to 300+ customers and four local food initiatives in Waterloo Region.

For 2024, we are kicking it up a notch! We’ll continue 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 in order to run a total of 14 Market days from July – September!

This season, the Market will be located in two Kitchener neighbourhoods – Eastwood and Laurentian Hills (Chandler Mowat). Learn more below AND follow us on social media (@youthinfoodsystems) or subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop!

2024 MARKET DATES & LOCATIONS:

For 2024, the Youth Food Market will take place regularly at two locations from mid-July to late August:

Eastwood Collegiate Institute

Weekly on Thursday evenings from 4:30pm – 6:30pm

Beginning July 18th and ending August 29th.

(July 18 and 25; August 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29)

760 Weber St. W

Kitchener, ON. N2H 1H6

Google Maps

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Chandler Mowat Community Centre

Biweekly Saturday afternoons from 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Beginning July 13th and ending August 24th.

(July 13 and 27; August 10 and 24)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHANDLER MOWAT MARKET HERE

222 Chandler Dr.

Kitchener, ON. N2E 3L7

Google Maps

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Additional Market dates & locations to be added!

Do you have an idea or suggestion for us? Get in touch!

marketleaders@seeds.ca

Nurture is an innovative food producing program that supports youth-led gardens across Waterloo Region. Nurture’s goal is to foster positive mental health among youth by making Waterloo Region a sustainable food forest. Nurture was built out of the GreenHouse Initiative, a social impact incubator based at the University of Waterloo.

For the 2023 season, Youth in Food System and Nurtured partnered to pilot youth-driven food production at 10 school garden sites throughout Waterloo Region. Approximately 20% of the total food sold and donated through the Youth Food Market came from these garden sites. For 2024, we are aiming to supply 30% of the total Market produce through 15 youth-led school gardens.

OUR FARM PARTNERS

Our four farm partners collectively provided about 70-80% 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 September, our youth Market Leaders are meeting 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, we are piloting a pay-what-you-choose model! In past years, produce had fixed prices based on market research.

Remaining and excess produce in 2024 will be donated to the Community Fridge KW and other local food initiatives (stay tuned for details!)

A BIG THANKS TO ALL OF OUR 2024 PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS:

Waterloo Region District School Board

Waterloo Catholic District School Board

Glenview Park S.S.

Chandler Mowat Community Centre

Eastwood Collegiate Institute

Resurrection C.S.S.

This Project is Made Possible by Outstanding Youth Market Leaders!

Youth in Food Systems has actively engaged over 365 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.