As Dave Harvey retires from his co-leadership position at Park People, he reflects on the incredible journey since founding the organization in 2011.
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How the City of Charlottetown’s experience with Hurricane Fiona demonstrates the importance of cross-departmental partnerships and resilient infrastructure to mitigate the impact of extreme winds.
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The InTO the Ravines Champions program offers people living near ravines training and support to learn, explore, and celebrate Toronto’s one-of-a-kind ravines system.
Twenty champions, paired in teams of two, take part in four training sessions on Toronto’s ravines, providing them with the knowledge and skills to plan and host their own event in one of these unique natural spaces.
Each team receive:
The Application for the 2024 InTO the Ravines Champions program is closed.
June 3, 2024
Applications Open
July 3, 2024
Applications Close
Mid July
Notification to successful champions
Aug 7, 2024
Training session – Introduction to our ravines (online)
Aug 14, 2024
Training session – Engagement & Event Planning in the Ravines (online)
Aug 21, 2024
Training session – Ravines as Vital Infrastructure: Equity and Climate Resilience (online)
Aug 28, 2024
Training session – Land-Based Learning: Indigenous History & Perspectives of the Ravines (in-person)
End of Aug, 2024
Release of the $600 microgrant
Sept 15 to Nov 1, 2024
Events period
Nov 1, 2024
Post-event evaluation
We’re looking for applicants who live near Toronto’s ravines, are unfamiliar with their history and significance, and may need help accessing them.
Priority will be given to historically marginalized communities, but all are welcome to apply.
Each applicant need to apply with a partner with whom they will be trained and host the event.
“A ravine is a type of landform created over time by running water. They are larger than gullies and smaller than valleys. They may or may not contain streams.” (see more on p.6 of Toronto’s Ravine Strategy).
Explore Toronto’s Interactive Map and select the Administrative Boundary -> Ravine and Nature Feature Protection By-Law filter.
No, you don’t need to have any prior experience in organizing events or within ravines to apply.
Successful applicants must participate in all four training sessions.
These sessions will provide essential information regarding event planning and the important role of ravines. During these training sessions, you will have the opportunity to engage with other champions and guest speakers.
The social benefits of parks are especially important for seniors. A study from CARP found that living near a park helps seniors avoid loneliness at a rate that’s four times greater than that of having children. Yet seniors represent just 4% of park users, despite being 20% of the population.
Park People’s Senior Champions in Vancouver address this gap by supporting seniors in leading free activities in their urban parks, providing eight seniors annually with hands-on training and access to mentorship from previous leaders. Past events have included park-based art classes, knitting groups, bird watching, Indigenous plant identification walks, Tai Chi, and gardening — to name just a few!
Each Champion receive:
0+
seniors engaged in greenspaces
0
senior champions running community programming
0%
of participants feel better connected to their community
The Application for the 2024 Vancouver Senior Champions is closed.
May 13, 2024
Applications open
May 13 – June 26, 2024
Phone or Online Interviews
June 17, 2024
June 30, 2024
July and August 2024
Mandatory Training sessions
July 22, 2024 – Jan 31, 2025
Park activites
Feb 14, 2025
Post-event evaluations
People aged 60 and above living in Metro Vancouver are eligible. We prioritize seniors from historically marginalized communities, especially racialized, newcomers, living with disabilities, and/or LGBTQ2S+ seniors. Through community outreach with our local partners, we’re seeking to ensure that 100% of senior activity leaders and 75% of participants identify as belonging to one of these equity-deserving groups.
No, you don’t need to have any prior experience in organizing events to apply. Our program is designed specifically to train and equip seniors with the necessary knowledge and tips to lead their events in parks successfully.
You can apply individually or as a group of two. Both would lead the activities (co-champions) if applied as a pair.
Successful applicants must participate in all three training sessions.
These sessions will provide essential information regarding event planning, community outreach, effective communication and accessibility. During these training sessions, you will also have the opportunity to engage with mentors who are former champions.
Montreal’s Urban Park Champions mentoring program offers dedicated community members from equity-deserving neighbourhoods – whether they are beginner or experienced leaders – training and coaching opportunities to help them organize a series of two activities in their local parks.
This program enables 4 two-person teams to promote urban green spaces in their communities, while encouraging visitors to explore, protect and improve these spaces.
Benefits for each Champions:
Candidates must reside in one of the five eligible districts:
Each candidate must apply with a team partner. Together, the team participates in training and organizes the events.