Three local residents were among 30 leaders from across the province named as recipients of the Ontario Community Changemakers Grant.
Cambridge's Two White Feather, Kitchener's Jen Gadoua and Waterloo's Hannah Gardiner each received $5,000 to implement their proposed projects in an effort to empower their communities.
Two White Feather's initiative, dubbed "Finding Common Ground", aims to mobilize encampment residents, community members and allies of ALL 4 Nations/Abilities to create a healing lodge and respite tipi to support mental health, emotional safety and to break the cycle of displacement among marginalized people.
Gadoua is sharing a passion for mountain biking to create an adaptive weekend retreat for people who typically have to travel to Alberta or British Columbia for such experiences. The goal is to use outdoor spaces to give people with disabilities a chance to be active.
Gardiner is focusing her efforts on bringing people together through the idea of micro-parades. She plans to research, develop and host a micro-parade in a public space, while developing online resources for others to host their own.
Each have 12 months to complete their projects.
The program, designed for people 19 years of age and older, is put on by 8 80 Cities with funding from the Balsam Foundation.
8 80 Cities mission is to "ignite action and challenge the status quo to create healthier, more equitable, and sustainable cities for all people."
“We have realized that older people are re-imagining their potential and need support for their goals, and we want to be that support for these groups of people,” Jiya Benni, project manager at 8 80 Cities, said.
“This is also very much in alignment with our vision of cities being places for people to grow up and grow old in. As an organization, we believe our communities need and depend on changemakers of all age groups.”
The 30 recipients will meet in Toronto from Oct. 26 to 27 for city tours, workshops, presentations and meetings with local grassroots community leaders before receiving virtual support throughout the process.
For more information on the Ontario Community Changemakers Grant visit ontariocommunitychangemakers.org.
