The Young Professionals of Nanaimo and a contingent of Nanaimo school district learning alternatives program students teamed up to work on the Turner Road community garden on Tuesday.
The students are part of skills and trades prepatory, young parent and construction-focused programs and the outing allowed them to get out of the classroom and develop a sense of community.
Skills and trades prep teacher Brett Hancock said his course focuses on sustainable living and outdoor recreation and harvesting the garden allowed his students to learn and build employability skills.
“It (is) great to partner up with some friends from the young professionals group and try to create a spark to turn into a fire with these students and get them involved in their communities and communities outside of theirs as well,” said Hancock.
Adam Hawryluk, president of the Young Professionals of Nanaimo, said the non-profit organization was happy to have the students out and echoed Hancock’s sentiments, saying it was an opportunity to build a sense of community for the students.
“This gives them an opportunity to get their hands dirty, get some community involvement – kind of get the idea of what it is to be part of the community and to give back and relay some life skills,” he said.
Learning alternatives program student Arron Lamoreux used to work on a farm and is taking textile and foods amongst his courses, so Tuesday’s outing has practical application.
“We’re basically just taking out the garden plots and everything because it’s the end of the season,” Lamoreux said. “Technically, if you get a feel for what you would be using in the kitchen, you can better understand it when you’re cooking.”
Food was harvested and donated to the Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank.