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 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, 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.

This season, the Market was located in two Kitchener neighbourhoods – Eastwood and Laurentian Hills (Chandler Mowat). Now, planning for the 2025 season will soon be underway! 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 took 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

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 and 2024 seasons, Youth in Food System and Nurtured partnered to pilot youth-driven food production at school garden sites throughout Waterloo Region. Across these first two seasons, approximately 20% of the total food sold and donated through the Youth Food Market came from these garden sites. For 2025 and beyond, we intend to continue increasing opportunities for youth leadership and school-based food production.

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 August, 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:

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 400 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.