What was the initiative?
Sophia’s Pathy Project focused on expanding the role that farms play as community hubs by working directly with farmers to develop educational programming within their local context. Local farms feed, employ, and support rural communities, and the initiative aimed to show that they also teach, engage and inspire. Sophia worked with her community partner to build programming that would engage community and connect them to the farm landscape. By the end of her Fellowship year, the program had grown to include field trips, art workshops, book circles, summer camps, and after school programs. Each program was developed and delivered in collaboration across disciplines and sectors with other community members and local organizations. Neighbourhood Farm Schools was established as a not-for-profit society, enabling Sophia and her community to continue the work and support the long-term sustainability of the initiative.
What was the community connection?
Sophia connected with her community when she began working as a farm intern on Salt Spring Island in 2019. Later, she returned to the farm to work for two more seasons and eventually took on the role of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) manager. Sophia’s connection to this community flourished as she worked with fellow farmers and produced food for Salt Spring residents through the CSA program.
How was it innovative?
Sophia’s initiative incorporated a commitment to collaboration which encouraged diverse community engagement and unique cross-sector programs. From bridging farming and social-emotional learning, to developing place-based art workshops, a lot of enrichment came from unexpected collaborations. The initiative focused on asset-based, community-led project development which encourage farm school programming to grow according to available resources and local context and ensured the team was working to meet the specific goals of the community, including long-term food security, sustainable employment, youth engagement and mental health, and collective climate action. By developing relationships between the agricultural and other community sectors, Sophia’s initiative emphasized capacity-building, access to knowledge and resources, and the development of more connected, resilient, supportive networks within the community. Additionally, the program centered outdoor and experiential education to support and empower participants to explore, inquire, and learn in their own way.
What is Sophia doing now?
Upon completion of her Fellowship, Sophia has continued on part-time with Neighbourhood Farm Schools, as the organization’s Executive Director. The community keeps a full roster of spring, summer, and fall programs, and is working on expanding the project to other partner farms across British Columbia. Additionally, she is working as a Senior Program Manager at The Starfish Canada, leading all their work related to educational workshops and programming