THUNDER BAY – A number of students will be earning a wide range of transferable skills this summer through a paid placement with Roots to Harvest.
Education Minister Mitzie Hunter announced the province’s $45,000 investment through the Focus on Youth Summer Program to support the collaboration between the Lakehead District School Board’s Adult Education Centre and Roots to Harvest.
The program was created in 2007 through Ontario’s $4 million investment to help school boards team up with community organizations.
Last year, the investment increased to $8 million and expanded to regions including Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Peterborough, Brantford and Kingston.
“This is an incredibly important program,” Hunter said. “This is a partnership that is supporting high school students to be able to access experiential learning and hands-on learning through the Roots to Harvest Program.”
The summer program provides local students with the opportunity for a paid placement, which will help them earn high school credits.
The students work on a community farm and in the gardens providing them with a wide range of transferable skills.
“It’s really our focus on experiential learning, which is really connecting students to a possible career path by giving them hands-on learning and experience,” Hunter said.
Hunter admires the student’s passion when they are learning about nutritious foods through the Roots to Harvest Program.
A key focus for the Ministry of Education is wellbeing, which includes health habits and healthy nutrition.
“The program combines all that as well as experiential learning and the work skills the students are learning.”
Director of Education Ian MacRae believes this program will provide the students with an added opportunity to achieve success.
“It’s going to be an exciting program for the students and I think the community as a whole…and again we are very pleased to provide additional opportunities for our students,” MacRae said.
Director of Education Ian MacRaeThe Lakehead District School Board has been involved with Roots to Harvest for some time and they are looking at expanding the involvement.
The garden will be located behind board’s office and will be placed on the entire area other than the portion the city owns.
“It will involve a variety of gardens of different types, so it’s going to be quite an extensive project,” MacRae said.
“It originally started as just the garden, but it has expanded into small farm animals, a beehive and a rabbitry…it’s actually quite exciting.”
MacRae added they will be working closely with Roots to Harvest to finalize the proposal as it’s nowhere near completion but it’s in the initial stages.
The expansion will be discussed in a closed session at the school board meeting Tuesday evening.
