land partnership
Guelph Youth
Farm
Designed in partnership with St. Joseph's Health Centre and Guelph Community Health Centre, this quarter-acre micro-farm explord how growing food can support patient wellness, youth employment, and community connections. Featuring accessible raised beds and thoughtfully designed gathering spaces, the farm became a place where gardening, learning, and healing came together.
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The design process included conversations with St Jo's staff to better understand the needs of patients living with brain injuries, dementia, and other health challenges. Youth participants employed through Ontario Works seeded, weeded, harvested, and marketed the produce and help refine the farm's vision and purpose. We provided mentorship, technical guidance, and production oversight throughout the season.
One of the project's greatest successes was the relationships that developed between youth and seniors. Many of the seniors brought decades of gardening experience and traditional food knowledge, while the youth shared their understanding of technology and current events. Working side by side, they planted, weeded, harvested, and discovered that growing food has a way of breaking down barriers and starting conversations that might never happen elsewhere. After all, tomatoes don't choose sides.