St. John’s Presbyterian Church received almost $100,000 through the Government of Canada’s Community Service Recovery Fund to complete work that included a pavilion, sidewalks, benches, pickleball, volleyball and badminton equipment, and storage cupboards.
NEWS RELEASE
ST. JOHN’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
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When the federal government released its Community Service Recovery Fund grant program in 2023, the session at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Bradford knew exactly what our application would contain.
In 2017 our team had begun a two-year initiative to do more for the youth of Bradford. It was motivated, in part, by a Simcoe County board of education report that 75 per cent of some 10,000 students who responded reported stress and anxiety as their main concerns. Further research suggested that the suicide rate among those under 20 years of age was the highest it had been since World War 2.
Perhaps the biggest societal difference from previous generations has been the negative aspects of social media such as anonymous bullying on today’s youth.
The pandemic delayed our youth programs, but when the federal government identified isolation and mental health concerns post-COVID, we knew we could incorporate both objectives.
There are many experts who promote the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of gardening. Our grant built on that concept. We took our existing landscaping and improved it by adding walkways, a gazebo and benches under trees so that the residents of The Elden retirement home, next to us, can safely walk on and rest in the shade.
We put in eight garden boxes and involved our youth in the building and planting of these boxes. One of our members, a teacher, started a project with her class, planting seeds in the classroom and nurturing them until they were ready for transplanting. The children’s handprints, in paint, adorn the boxes they planted. From the start, the young people have known that they are growing vegetables for donation to our local food bank. The food bank was involved in suggesting the vegetables they could use.
This project has touched on many aspects that are needed in our society today — it has become an intergenerational, diverse group interacting with young people on a common goal. Our youth are learning lessons and skills that they may carry with them later in life including giving to others. Most importantly, common goals create opportunities for communication, listening and mutual respect. From there we create a sense of trust and the feeling that you belong to something. Above all, it has been fun.
If there is a message for public service organizations, including the various faiths, it is that the heart of your mission lies within your community at the street level. Talk to the shop owners, attend a neighbourhood meeting, visit a food bank — integrate. The philosophy of working together on common interests has been around for a long time. But without finding out what the issues are for your community, the common goals may not reveal themselves.
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