Gardening and Development

By Leah McDonnell, 1st year MDP student

Leah in the garden

With my final days at NorWest Community Food Centre are closing in, I have begun to self-reflect on my time here.  Although I was designated to mainly support the creation of a traditional Indigenous medicine garden, I have been able to participate in many other areas of development through the organization. 

However, one of the biggest learning points for myself to take away from this internship is that I can garden.  I’m actually pretty darn good at it too.  I never thought that I would gain so many skills so quickly. I am lucky insofar as I work with a very supportive staff and the garden manager has decided to use this specific community garden as a learning experience.  What does that mean?  It’s ok to make mistakes (in my case, probably a few mistakes).  However, I have probably learned more by being able to try different ideas and make mistakes than I would have if I was given a strict set of rules. It also creates a very easy-going feel through the community garden itself, allowing people to come out, learn a little bit and relax in a safe and supportive environment.

Weekly community farmer's market in Blake Gardens

During my time at NorWest I have been involved with many different programs that run through the centre.  One of the most effective programs NorWest runs, in my opinion, is the weekly community farmer’s market in Blake Gardens.  The organization purchases, in bulk, various veggies, fruits, meats and eggs. Then sells these products back to community members at cost - for example, 5 bananas for $1CDN, 6 eggs for $1.50, etc.  The prices are kept as low as possible and the market does not make a profit.  Instead, it uses the money made during the week to invest in groceries for next week’s market.  While most of the produce will sell out, any that is left over is taken back to the food centre and is used in community lunches, so there is no waste.   

As there are direct linkages to access to healthy nutrition and development (both mental and physical) this market is able to address immediate needs in the community by providing healthy foods at affordable pricing.  While working at the market, I also got to know a lot of people in the community and made and fostered some great relationships. 

While I am sad that my time at NorWest is over, I have had a wonderful (and resume building) experience.

Miigwetch

The Community Garden

By Leah McDonnell, 1st year MDP student

 As a 1st year MDP student, I had the opportunity to pick my first internship inside of Canada. Although my focus of study aims primarily at trafficking and human rights, I decided to pick something that would be a little out of my comfort zone and I wanted to make sure I was working in Winnipeg.  Thus, I decided to intern at NorWest Community Food Centre in the community garden. 

Freshly picked radish

I have been working on contacting a traditional knowledge keeper in order to help the organization grow a traditional medicine garden.  It is a very exciting project, but must be undertaken carefully and gently.  As such, we are in the begging stages of consultation of the garden.  However, I have been very busy with other jobs around the community centre.  I have been thrown into the community kitchen as a chef’s assistant, I have gone to various advocacy meetings at other organizations, I have been working in a beautiful garden (everything from hauling dirt, to building an awning to planting fruits, veggies and flowers) and much more.  All in all I have been having a wonderful time – which for me is the most important.

Leah with red lettuce

The second most important aspect of my placement is that I have been able to work in food security in a lower-income area with a variety of volunteers.  I feel this has given me a much stronger understanding of what issues regarding food security exist in Winnipeg, MB.

The centre I work with uses an alternative method to a food bank – if focuses on a food centre model.  The food centre model creates a community centre that has access to fresh, healthy and nutritious foods and food classes (i.e. learning to cook, cooking while managing diabetes, etc).  The centre allows its members free access to healthy foods that are imperative for a healthy life style. 

Beans and peas

Although, at first I was excited to work specifically on the  Indigenous Medicine Garden, I have thoroughly enjoyed my other activities at the centre.  I adore working in a garden; there is something very calming about it.  In turn, the calmness allows me time to connect to my positionality and gives me plenty of time for self-reflection – key aspects in Indigenous experiential learning.

With the rewarding, but hectic lifestyle of an MDP grad student, I really value my time spent in the garden.