Author: Anushen Selvasegar

I was 16 when I first learned about a summer job from an organization called CREW. At first, I almost didn’t even care what they were about, I only just saw this as an opportunity to have something to do during the summer since I was stuck at home during the pandemic. I had applied but didn’t have much hope considering I had little-to-no experience at all. Somehow, I managed to get the position as a Youth Climate Extreme Weather Animator for CREW. Little did I know how much this would change the trajectory of my life.

I learned about climate resilience and adaptations from CREW. They said that social networks were the most important thing for resilience. I didn’t think much of it at the time, I just saw it as “part of the job” when I first started. But I learned the importance of building a social network from calling seniors for a check in and seeing how they were dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic at the time. For me, it was a raw, human experience to hear real stories of what these seniors were going through. At a certain point, some even felt comfortable to speak on other issues going on in their lives as well. These were moments where I really learned how great social connections like these are in times of crisis.

After my summer job was over, I became a volunteer of CREW. I had nothing else to do most of the time and figured I might as well stick around and see what happens. From my time volunteering with CREW, I learned the importance of emergency readiness, social connections and how disconnected people were socially and environmentally, in all our neighbourhood buildings with plenty of unused outdoor spaces. This experience has made me more environmentally conscious when it comes to both climate and my St James Town neighbourhood. It’s also inspired me to pursue a  professional career in the environmental sector. I am now a student at TMU, studying Urban and Environmental Sustainability.

On what we called our “Green Discovery Walks,” we were taken to different local green spaces around St James Town, one of which I wasn’t even aware of. These guided walks gave a sense of empowerment and belonging to residents. I learned the importance of welcoming green spaces for community connections around our buildings and why we should do our best to create more, and protect the spaces we do have. That’s where my idea started. I wanted to create a 375 Climate Resilience Garden.  

I’d become aware that many communities have community gardens, yet St James Town, one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Canada, didn’t have one. I pitched the idea to Lidia, CREW’S Community Engagement Specialist, and with her gardening expertise and experience in building open and genuine connections, everything started to look promising. It took a couple of years. First, we had to get approvals from Toronto Community Housing. After that, we planned the location and layout. Then we found the grants that would fund the garden. The garden has slowly taken form. We designed it to be accessible for seniors and for people with disabilities. I hope it continues to expand and become a hub of community and climate resilience that will offer seating, green canopies and a water fountain – an adaptation for our warmer climate. The end goal is to inspire and celebrate nature and community. The resilience garden could be replicated in every empty space around our 19 high-rise buildings, and beyond. Envisioning a well connected green and vibrant neighbourhood!