Ideas & inspiration blog

Inspired by the overwhelming community support she witnessed on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in 2021, Sheena Merling, Bin-no-g Man-na-doe Quay – Spirit of the Children, formed a committee of Indigenous community members and allies with the goal of bringing a decorative Every Child Matters crosswalk to Victoria Park as part of a tribute to honour the children who were lost and those who still live with the generational trauma caused by residential schools.  

St Francis of Assisi Church's Laudo Si Environmental Team met in Forest Hill earlier this spring to discuss how they can use their horticultural skills and environmental passion to better the lives of their neighbours. 

If you’ve been walking through Victoria Park this spring, you might have noticed orange ribbons tied to some of the lamp posts, and more recently orange footprints painted on the trails throughout the park. These ribbons were to signal that an important resident-led tribute is coming to Victoria Park – an Honorary Crosswalk for Every Child Matters. And the orange footprints are the first step towards bringing this tribute to the park.

With up to $30,000 in grant funding available, there's so many ways to lead projects that help connect neighbours, improve neighbourhoods and revitalize public spaces. Here's what other Kitchener residents have done in their own neighbourhoods:

Let’s give three cheers for a resident-led outdoor gym that quietly popped up in Victoria Park in August 2020. Are you one of the many youth and adults who have already discovered that this new amenity is perfect for a much needed pandemic workout?

While 2020 has been an incredibly difficult year that has required our community to practice physical distancing, Kitchener residents have found new ways to connect with their neighbours to create meaningful, lasting change in their neighbourhoods.

For several years, the Wisahkotewinowak network has been building relationships with local urban lands, with a focus on Indigenous food sovereignty and land-based education. 

At the age of 13, Lazar went door-to-door in his neighbourhood to gather the community’s support to install a Math Wall and accessible table in Morrison Park to help elementary-aged students improve their math skills in a fun, outdoor environment.

For many years community gardens have been popular spots for residents to exercise their green thumbs by gathering with one another to grow vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers in designated plots. The folks at Mansion Greens Community Garden set out to plant the Mansion Greens Edible Forest Garden in 2015. This 4,000+ sq. ft. space in Weber Park is home to 16 fruit trees and approximately 35 fruit bushes.