Community Stories
The Fabric of Society Project
The Fabric of Society Project
Written by Janet Sherbanowski
The Fabric of Society is about strength, and how we in society create our own reality and change it.
Getting Active in Perth County: The Creation of a County-wide Trail Development and Active Transportation Initiative
Perth County is getting active with the creation of a new county-wide trails and active transportation committee focused on the creation of walkable and bikeable communities and trails. The project started in 2009, when Healthy Living Perth, one of many Healthy Communities Partnerships established in Ontario, identified active transportation as priority for Perth County. Partnering with Canada Walks, Green Communities Canada, 8-80 Cities, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, they hosted four community forums with guest speaker Gil Penalosa, an active transportation expert.
The Sky Garden: Rooftop Gardening at the University of Toronto
With their heads in the books, most students have little time left for cooking, let alone gardening. Most students are reliant on pre-package and restaurant food and have little chance to connect to food sources, especially among students who live in the city. The Sky Garden at the University of Toronto attempts to change students’ relationship to food and to gardening. As the first Canadian campus rooftop garden, the Sky Garden provides students with an opportunity to take a break from the books, enjoy some fresh air, and grow and eat fresh organic produce.
Catch the "TROUT" in North Hastings and Highlands East
Now that the residents of North Hastings and Highlands East
can catch the TROUT, rural life has been made easier. The TROUT, also
known as The Rural Overland Utility Transit is one of the first of its kind in
Ontario--a rural public transit system.
K-Net: Connecting Communities One Click at a Time
Imagine a high school made up of online classrooms, with teachers and students thousands of kilometres away; where students, teachers and even the principal interact with one another via internet and Internet-based VOIP phones. Imagine receiving a medical diagnosis from a specialist through an online scope or X-ray.
Students are Blossoming at Buckhorn School and Community Garden
If you were at Buckhorn School in Buckhorn Ontario on May 24th, you would have seen students, teachers and community members busy preparing, protecting and beautifying the school’s diverse gardens and schoolyard. Students were busy planting seeds in their class garden plots, painting a mural with local children’s book artist and parent Kim Fernandez, and collecting rocks for the protective border around the school’s brand new front yard gardens. Throughout the day, the school’s grade 5 students also known as Habitat Helpers, provided mentorship to the younger students.
Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy
London, Ontario’s Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy (SNS) has been created by Londoners for Londoners. The five-year strategy, initiated by the City of London, was developed based on a series of meetings with over 100 community members and organizations.
FoodNet Ontario and the Good Food Box Network
The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
Good Food Box (GFB) programs have been active in Ontario for many years. Their goal is to ensure that individuals and families have access to fresh fruits and vegetables through a program that offers opportunities for community member participation, partnerships and capacity building.
Poverty Reduction, Social Determinants of Health and Why We Need to Adopt a Health Equity Approach
Research shows that there is an unequal distribution of health equity in the society. This inequity can be linked to the social determinants of health; the economic and social conditions in which people live which determine their health. Chronic diseases such as hyper-tension, depression, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes are among the most common health problems facing Canadians today They are also considered to be among the most preventable diseases, and are believed to be directly linked to social determinants of health..
Our mission is to create innovative solutions to meet community challenges and build strong, equitable and sustainable communities through education, engagement and collaboration
