October 2017 Village Vibe

October 2017

villagevibe News and views from the heart of Fernwood

Halloween Bonfire Burnin’ All Hallows’ Eve is more than just candy

›› Kathryn Juricic

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top by Fernwood’s annual Halloween Bonfire at Stevenson Park this October 31st! Come down in your best costume or just come to warm up with friends and neighbours by the fire, tended with love by Fernwood NRG staff. We’re so excited to host you in our backyard!

Bring a chair, blanket, instrument, some stories, a bag for trick or treating or just come to enjoy this Fernwood tradition.

The fire will be burning from dusk til’ 10pm. Make sure to bring the kids because this event is for everyone, seriously, we’ve got every child’s favourite activity happening in the Fernwood Community Centre: a Bouncy Castle! Let ‘em jump out their candy high from 6-9pm in the gym. Fernwood NRG Youth Groups will be there too, serving hot apple cider, giving out treats, and manning the photo booth!

If you get there early, just before it gets too dark, take part in a Spiral Dance before we light the fire. A group dance designed to emphasize community and rebirth, led by Fernwood’s favourite witch, Beth Threlfall.

Fernwoodians love to get behind Halloween and the bonfire has been heating up the neighbourhood’s ghoulish ways for over 10 years! Don’t miss this event that brings together all the wonderful people who call this place home.

It’s a Fernwood tradition to gather ‘round the Halloween Bonfire to warm up and chat with neighbours. Photo: Mila Czemerys

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Join the Gift of Good Food 2017 ›› Kathryn Juricic It’s that time already to start thinking about the holiday season! Well, for me it is anyway and I’m writing to convince you, too! As a Fernwoodian, you might already know about this awesome holiday fundraiser called The Gift of Good Food. If you don’t, here’s the short of it: every year we raise money to purchase Good Food Boxes (fresh fruits and vegetables) for lowincome families who use services at various Community Centres and support agencies across Greater Victoria. Plus, the produce is delivered to them on a consistent basis for an entire year… for only $500! This campaign reach spreads far beyond our

neighbourhood’s borders so it can be hard for us to get the word out outside of Fernwood. Please help us spread the word about this worthy cause!

If you’re interested in being a part of delivering fresh fruits and vegetable to families who need it across Greater Victoria for the entire year, please reach out! The fundraiser starts November 13th, so we’re laying the groundwork to start off rollin’.

Some of the ways you can help are: talk enthusiastically about it, become a fundraising captain (it’ll be online and shareable now!), host an event or fundraising party (house concert, potluck, dinner party), sell fundraising cards or tote bags at your business, have

Editorial

Feature

Oaklands News

Finding child care solutions page 2

Diverting usable produce from compost pile to plate page 4

Oktoberfest at Oaklands page 7

a donation box at your business, buy a fundraising card as a Christmas gift at the Fernwood Community Centre or share our promotions online. We also encourage you to make it your own because that makes it fun, meaningful for you, and the program becomes more resilient.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this fundraiser already. It’s continues to support families every week.

We couldn’t be more grateful or proud to partner with you.

If you have any ideas, questions, know people who know people, email kathryn@ fernwoodnrg.ca. For more info or to watch our fundraising videos (and share them?), visit thegiftofgoodfood.ca/donate.

in this issue To get the Vibe digitally, sign up at fernwoodnrg.ca

editorial:

villagevibe Published by Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group Editorial Committee

Lee Herrin Kathryn Juricic

Matt Takach Mila Czemerys Founding Editor Lisa Helps

Finding child care solutions together

Contributors

Kathryn Juricic Shonna Bell Ryan Wugalter Alysha Punnett Laura Burki

Lee Herrin Mila Czemerys Alex Harned Phoenix Bain

Clem Onojeghuo Alysha Punnett webmeister Bud

Production Mila Czemerys Contact us

1240 Gladstone Avenue Victoria, BC V8T 1G6 T 250.381.1552 F 250.381.1509 info@fernwoodnrg.ca www.villagevibe.ca To enquire about advertising in the Village Vibe, please contact ads@fernwoodnrg.ca The views expressed in the Village Vibe do not necessarily reflect the views of Fernwood NRG.

declaration of principles & values ››

We are committed to creating a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable neighbourhood;

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We are committed to ensuring neighbourhood control or ownership of neighbourhood institutions and assets;

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our resources prudently self-reliant; We are committed to the creation and support of neighbourhood employment;

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We are committed to engaging the dreams, resources, and talents of our neighbours and to fostering new links between them;

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We are committed to taking action in response to neighbourhood issues, ideas, and initiatives;

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We are committed to governing our organization and serving our neighbourhood democratically with a maximum of openness, inclusivity and kindness;

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›› Lee Herrin In June, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps invited community, public sector, and business leaders across the City together to discuss a local response to the chronic shortage of child care in the City of Victoria.

The meeting was well attended. All of the Community Centre Executive Directors; the City Manager and the Directors of Parks, Recreation & Facilities and Sustainable Development & Community Planning; the Superintendent of School District 61 ; the Chief Medical Health Officer; and the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce came to brainstorm solutions.

Everyone agreed that we have a significant problem, and everyone agreed that we need to work together to find solutions.

We are committed to developing the

Fernwood NRG provides child care for 99 children (including our new spaces, see below), but we have waitlists in all age groups.

Most acute is the shortage of spaces for children under three years old. Recent Census data shows there is only 1 licensed space for every 8 children under three in the City.

more investment in child care, but a systemic solution is still over the horizon.

Meanwhile, the need continues to grow.

But where there is will, there is a way. All new child care spaces need local facilities and local approvals. From a June meeting of the working group, Fernwood NRG,

...there is only 1 licensed space for every 8 children under three in the City The Community Centres represented at the meeting provide more than 800 spaces in Victoria—many in publicly funded buildings. All of us would like to increase our child care offering; finding space and getting it licensed is the challenge. Even the schools no longer have as much surplus space as they once did. The population of children in the City is growing, and the implications of the Supreme Court decision regarding classroom size means the schools themselves are short of space.

Higher levels of government have promised

with support from School District 61, the City of Victoria, and the Island Health Authority was able to open 24 new out of school care spaces last week in a repurposed classroom at George Jay Elementary. This does not meet all of the need, but it does alleviate significant pressure on our waitlists for school-age children.

Fernwood NRG is committed to creating new child care spaces, and we’re grateful to have the support of our partners in local government, the school district, and the health authority to make it happen.

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Welcoming & supporting Fernwood families ›› Shonna Bell

We are committed to using and to becoming financially

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the Mayor’s Child Care Solutions Working Group

Art

Mila Czemerys Alex Harned Allieren Ward

Fernwood NRG is part of

It has been a busy summer for Family Programs at the Fernwood Community Centre. The Family Resource Program in the gymnasium was packed with kids joining their families at home for the summer; staff and participants are happy for back-to-school! Now there’s a little more room for the little ones to play.

We are always happy to meet new families and little ones, and excited to take a moment to also share about the new, returning, and ongoing Family Support Programs happening at the Centre this fall.

We are excited to announce that we are offering a weekend program. Join us on Saturdays from 10:30am-12:30pm for Kindergym ($4/child). This is a play-based program, different from Family Resource

Program, focusing on gross motor and large movement play with materials to facilitate.

Returning to the Fernwood Community Centre is the Fernwood Family Legal Clinic on Tuesdays from 11:00am-1:00pm.

The clinic is by appointment only and appointments are 30 minutes with a lawyer who is actively practicing Family Law. We are grateful to continue to provide Parent Child Mother Goose, the Family Resource Program, and Family Dinner for families at the Fernwood Community Centre. Parent Child Mother Goose is an early literacy-based music program, running on Fridays with two time slots for different ages; for birth to one years old, 11:00-11:45am and for one to three year olds, 12:00-12:45pm. This is a free program but registration is required.

Family Resource Program is a parent

and tot drop-in program, welcoming and inclusive to all families, every Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-11:30am at the Fernwood Community Centre. Family Dinner is every Monday in the Fernwood Community Centre gymnasium from 5:00-7:00pm.

As always, for any family related support including looking for or applying for housing, accessing food resources or food banks, accessing other community support programs and referrals to community organizations or anytime you don’t know and you just need help, our Family Programs team is available.

For more information, please visit fernwoodnrg.ca/fernwood-nrgprograms/family-programs/ or email

Shonna Bell, Family Programs Coordinator, at shonna@fernwoodnrg.ca.

skills, capacity, self-worth, and excellence of our neighbours and ourselves;

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We are committed to focusing on the future while preserving our neighbourhood’s heritage and diversity;

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We are committed to creating neighbourhood places that are vibrant, beautiful, healthy, and alive;

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and, most of all, We are committed to having fun!

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villagevibe

October 2017

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

buzz:

Student Dinner night takes-off No need to cook on Wednesdays because it’s Student Dinner Night

›› Mila Czemerys With a saddle of books on their hip, sprinting from a Biology lab to the bus loop to in hopes to swiftly arrive at their parttime job, followed up with sport team or band practice commitments in the evening, it is no wonder students can’t find the time to cook a meal at home. A generation burdened with more student debt than ever before (and earning the least) are the ones forking out the largest amounts of money on restaurant and on-the-go food than any other age demographic. Is this a product of lack of time, a lack of food skills or general interest? All we know is that food insecurity among students is on the rise, which is why we’re excited to offer support to the many students who live in the Fernwood neighbourhood and beyond.

Student Dinner Night is a mid-week relief to your cooking woes! Take a load off and join us for a home-cooked meal with your fellow youth community in the gym at the Fernwood Community Centre from 6-7:30pm every Wednesday night. Sit down for a delicious meal, listen to local live music, take a few groceries home, and potentially walk away with a few new friends. Twice a month, Student Dinner will be themed with an open-mic night, guest speakers, live music, or a fun group activity.

The idea spurred from frequenting “Church Dinner” at Emmanuel Church located kitty corner to ring road at UVic, which at one point deemed a weekly rendez-vous for students, has now evolved into a full blown quintessential UVic pastime. “Each week, students line up down the block to get access to a free meal,” says Fernwood NRG’s Food Access Coordinator, Alex Harned. “It’s a surprise we haven’t thought of this sooner. Every community needs a student dinner night, especially Fernwood. Students make up a

significant population of folks residing in Victoria. So we’re just going to go for it and start one now.”

Fernwood NRG works with reclaimed food from various sources including the Food

We are lucky to source almost 90% of the Student Dinner Night from reclaimed food sources Rescue Project, operated by the Mustard Seed and organized by the Food Share Network wherein Thrifty Foods’ surplus and non-saleable items are distributed amongst non-profit organizations serving people facing food insecurity. Fernwood NRG is a member of the Coalition of Neighbourhood Houses where frozen meats, dairy products, produce and dried goods are generously

sourced surplus from Sysco and Cold Star.

“We are lucky to source almost 90% of the Student Dinner Night from reclaimed food sources. You are doing your part to divert edible food from landfill by eating at Fernwood once a week!” claims Alex.

“More than anything, we count our lucky stars for our amazing Chef David Gillis at the Fernwood Community Centre, who is the linchpin to this whole operation. He can turn anything into almost everything! A box of almost-spoiling bananas into a tasty dessert, no problem. A bag of root veggies into a Thai coconut curry on rice, you got it!”

Drop by the Fernwood Community Centre gymnasium on Wednesday evenings to see what it’s all about.

We are looking for volunteers to help with Student Dinner, free meal included of course! If you’re interested, please contact Alex Harned, Food Access Coordinator at alex@fernwoodnrg.ca . For more information on the program, please visit fernwoodnrg.ca/fernwood-nrgprograms/recreation/youth.

mark your calendar:

Vinyl Supernova Record Fair ›› Ryan Wugalter The needle will be dropped once again on Saturday, October 21 when the Fernwood Community Centre (1240 Gladstone Avenue) is transformed into Vinyl Supernova, Vancouver Island’s biggest vinyl LP fair!

Collections from all over Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland will be on display and for sale at this bi-annual event, first launched by organizer Ryan Wugalter in 2013. Local shops The Turntable, Supreme Echo Records, and Screen Test Studios will be represented alongside many first-time sellers whose private collections have never before been available to the public!

With over 60 tables of LPs, CDs and assorted music memorabilia, there will be

www.fernwoodnrg.ca

Get to Vinyl Supernova and find that gem you’ve been searching for! Photo by Clem Onojeghuo

something for everyone, from the causal hobbyist to the most serious collectors!

Still only $2 admission at the door with

partial proceeds going to the Fernwood NRG. Doors open at 10:00am and the show closes at 4:00pm.

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feature:

Fernwood Helping Hands: Diverting usable pr compost pile to your plate ›› Alex Harned

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his growing season, the Fernwood Helping Hands team of volunteers are flexing their gleaning skills at various generous farms across the Capital Region. ‘Gleaning’ is the practice of collecting fresh, excess food. From an abundance of lettuce and kale at the local urban Mason Street City Farm, to the endless wild blackberry bushes at Northbrook Farm, the bags of garlic scapes collected from Sea Bluff Farm, or the rows of organic cucumbers, summer squash, eggplant, chard, beans and cherry tomatoes from Northstar Organics, Fernwood NRG has been able to streamline a hefty amount of fresh organic produce from the field into community food access programs.

LifeCycles, Fernwood NRG’s partner of this project, has supported Fernwood Helping Hands to glean 1,260 pounds of produce at four farm partner sites! This has brought high quality and nutritious food directly into the hands and bellies of families in our community. Jesse Brown, a farmer at Mason Street City Farm, expressed his appreciation of this program, “The work that Fernwood Helping Hands does in the community is so necessary. As urban farmers, our mission is to grow as much food as possible and to have that food be accessible to all. Fernwood Helping Hands makes that easier by coming and harvesting and distributing some of our abundance to those in the community who need it most.”

Volunteers in the handfuls will carpool out to partner farms and take instruction from the farmers on what is ready to glean. Once finished the pick, volunteers will clean the produce on site, load it up for weighing and transport it back to the Fernwood Community Centre. There, the food is used in a range of programs from smaller meetup groups, such as a prenatal mom’s group and seniors’ lunch, to Family and Student Dinner.

David Gillis, Chef at Fernwood Community Centre, describes the process:

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(Left to right) Alex Harned, Fernwood Helping Hands Coordinator, Jay Williamson of Northbrook Farm, Juan Portilla and Bella Harned, Fernwood Helping Hands volunteers, are all smiles after their blackberry glean at Northbrook Farm.” Photo: Mila Czemerys

“If we can use it in our programming to offer healthy snacks and meals, we do. If we can process it and keep it longer, we will.

If we see we are running out of space, then we give it away the next day to people who use our programs. There are many outlets to feed people and that is a great feeling.”

This surge of available healthy food is also engaging community members to attend programs more often. “It generates more interest for the wider public to gather and meet each other through these programs, which fosters a stronger sense of community. It is empowering to see how food can bring people together.”

October 2017

While the positive aspects are plentiful, there are also barriers to sustaining these types of programs as there are so many moving, timely pieces to consider. For instance, this past growing season has been an uphill battle to start a new gleaning program. Out of the farms that have been contacted to participate this season only one out of five have been able to commit.

“Recruiting new farm partners has been challenging,” explained Jesse Howardson, Farm Gleaning Coordinator of LifeCycles Project Society. “It is presumably made more so due to the season having a late start and yield of many crops being lower.”

But Howardson also says it’s hard for farmers to plan for gleaning in general.

“Often, farmers only have a few days between when they have to decide that they have sold all they can, or if a crop is damaged, and when the produce goes bad, and it is often stressful for neighbourhood based centres to receive perishable goods in larger quantities when they aren’t expecting it. It means our volunteers generally have to be on standby within a 48 hour period, which isn’t the most convenient or accessible at times, we just can’t get there in time.” Other barriers include lack of infrastructure and storage, which

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

roduce from the

Fernwood Helping Hands volunteers gleaning lettuce at Mason Street City Farm which was used in Fernwood NRG’s food access programming. Photo: Alex Harned

many Community Centres are facing as programs grow and the need to provide more for the community is demanded.

There is a long way to go to building a resilient local food system, but we celebrate the successes of Fernwood Helping Hands that has diverted food from the compost pile into delicious meals and mouths of thankful folks.

If you would like to get involved with Fernwood Helping Hands as a volunteer or if you know of a backyard or garden that could be gleaned, contact Alex Harned, Food Access Coordinator, at alex@fernwoodnrg.ca.

www.fernwoodnrg.ca

Fernwood Helping Hands also aims to grow food literacy amongst its participants and is offering a series of Food and Growing Workshops, such as 20 Minute Meal Preparation, Growing Mushroom Logs, Permaculture Basics, Agrarian Tool Repair, Cheese-Making and How to Grow & Use Medicinal Plants. These workshops provide the space to share knowledge and empower folks to learn new ideas, skills and meet new people.

More information about this Food and Growing Workshop Series is available at fernwoodnrg.ca/events-directory/foodgrowing-workshops/.

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compost corner:

Cold Weather Composting Seasonal tips from

Leaf cage

Compost Education Centre’s Site Manager and Community Education Coordinator

›› Alysha Punnett

Often customers who come in to the Compost Education Centre have just been putting “greens” into their compost pile, then wondering why it smells and isn’t really breaking down. This is due to the lack of “browns.” To make life easy, set up a leaf cage right next to your compost pile where you can stockpile leaves as they fall from the trees.

Fall is a great time of year for composting.

Compost ingredients are abundant as you put the garden to bed, dried leaves are plentiful and things have all winter to slowly break down into your spring soil amendment. Below are some tips for composting success through the colder months.

Lid

Carbon to Nitrogen ratio

Rodent protection

To avoid a compost pile that is too dry or too wet, and to ensure proper decomposition, add equal amounts of carbon-rich (“browns”) and nitrogen-rich (“greens”) materials. The easiest way to achieve this is to add a layer of carbon each time you dump your kitchen scraps bucket into your composter. Not sure how to get browns? Read on for how to make this easy as pumpkin pie!

On that note, let’s talk rodent protection. As the cold sets in, it’s easy to run out to your composter, dump your kitchen scraps and run back inside to the fire. Rodents take advantage of this time to move in to spaces that would otherwise be disturbed more regularly during the gardening season. Continuing to give your composter a good stir every week will send the signal that it’s not a

It is necessary to cover your compost pile here on the wet west coast. Winter rains will waterlog a compost pile, drowning the microorganisms you are trying to encourage to breed. It can be as simple as a tarp, however a heavy or locking lid is best to keep rodents out.

FERNWOOD NRG FALL PROGRAMS SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2017 MONDAY Fernwood Family Dinner, Ongoing, 5:00pm – 7:00pm, $2 suggested donation Nuu Chah Nulth Drumming (Closed Group), 7:30pm – 10:00pm

Installing a leaf cage beside your compost bin is a great way to store and have easy access to the abundant leaves—“browns”—that are available at this time of year. Photo: Alysha Punnett

safe place to set up shop (and will also make you warm!).

To learn more about greens, browns,

leaves and rodent protection, attend one of our free workshops or visit our factsheets page at compost.bc.ca.

FOOD + GROWING WORKSHOP SERIES AT THE FERNWOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE

TUESDAY Family Resource Program, Ongoing, 9:30am – 11:30am, free drop-in Meditation, Sept 5 - Dec 19, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, $60/6, $10/drop-in Bootcamp, Nov 7 - Feb 27, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, register with Victoria Bootcamp VSSC Dodgeball, Sept 19 – Dec 5, 7:00pm – 10:00pm, register at www.vssc.ca Stigma Free Zone Women’s Group: 25+ female peer support, Ongoing, 7:00pm – 8:30pm

WEDNESDAY Best Babies (Postnatal), Ongoing, 11:30am – 2:30pm Good Food Box Pick-up, Ongoing, 1:00pm – 8:00pm Student Wednesday Night Dinner, 6:00pm – 7:30pm, $2-$5 suggested donation ROOTED Leadership Group (15-19yrs), 6:00pm – 7:30pm, $5 suggested donation

How to Grow & Use Medicinal Plants

Agrarian Tool Repair

Saturday September 23, 1-4pm

Saturday October 14, 1-2:30pm

An introduction to herbal medicine & ecological gardening for a variety of ailments. Cost: $40-60

Learn how to repair & refurbish hand tools, fix a wheelbarrow & discover how to salvage parts. Cost: $15

Growing Mushroom Logs

20 Minute Meal Preparation

THURSDAY Family Resource Program, Ongoing, 9:30am – 11:30am, free drop-in Best Babies (Prenatal), Ongoing, 11:30am – 2:30pm Bootcamp, Nov 9 - Feb 22, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, register with Victoria Bootcamp Karma Yoga Class, Ongoing, 7:00pm – 8:00pm, $5 donation/drop-in, $2 mat rental LGBTQ NA, 7:00 – 8:00pm

FRIDAY Parent Child Mother Goose (0-1yrs), 11:00am - 11:45am, free, must register Parent Child Mother Goose (1-3yrs), 12:00pm - 12:45am, free, must register Seniors’ Lunch (55+), 11:30am – 2:30pm, $4/drop-in Youth Sports Drop-in (9-12yrs), 1st & 4th Friday/month, 6:00pm – 8:00pm, by donation Metaphysical Meetup Group (Preregister w/ MeetUp), 2nd Friday/month, 7:00pm – 9:00pm

SATURDAY Kindergym, 10:30am-12:30pm, $4/drop-in Outdoor Pursuits (12-15yrs), 9:00am-12:00pm, $10/drop-in

Holiday closures on September 4, October 9, November 11 and December 25 - January 2.

For more information & to register contact:

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Fernwood Community Centre 1240 Gladstone Avenue, Victoria, BC V8T 1G6 T 250.381.1552 info@fernwoodnrg.ca

October 2017

Saturday October 14, 1-3pm

Sunday October 15, 10am-12pm

Inoculate logs with shiitake or oyster mushroom & learn about the wonderful world of mycelium. Cost: $60

Basic knife skills, prepping & cooking techniques & meal planning to help you around the kitchen. Cost: $25

What the heck is Hugelkultur?

Introduction to Permaculture

Saturday October 21, 1-3pm

Saturday November 4, 1-3pm

Build a Hugelkultur raised bed & learn about this water-smart permaculture technique. Cost: $30

Learn the theory & principles of sustainable site design at any scale. Cost: $20

Mozzarella, Burrata, Bocconcini

Cheese Making for Entertaining

Saturday November 18, 10am-12pm

Saturday November 18, 1-3pm

Learn how to make your own mozzarella in this hands-on workshop—ingredients included! Cost: $65

Turn basic cheeses into amazing appetizers with herbs & botanicals. You’ll taste & take some home. Cost: $65

Register: 250-381-1552 x100 | fernwoodnrg.eventbrite.com

News and views from the heart of Fernwood

oaklands news:

Oktoberfest at Oaklands!

Sausages, sauerkraut, beer and community

›› Phoenix Bain The annual tradition of Oktoberfest returns to Oaklands on Saturday, October 14th. Now in its 4th year, the annual event has established itself as a must-attend community gathering in Oaklands.

The evening celebrates the many traditions of Oktoberfest from beer to delicious food to music to the chicken dance, while gathering the neighbourhood together to raise funds for the Oaklands Community Association Community Dinner program.

The Community Dinner program offers home-cooked, by-donation dinners to the young and old of the community on the last Sunday of the month. We bring together people to share food and meet neighbours, getting to the heart of why sharing food is part of the human story.

Funds raised allow us to purchase a variety of food, source our menu as locally

as possible, and maintain this as a bydonation program. Through funding, we are also able to increase the diversity of our menu and explore different cultural traditions through food.

Each year for Oktoberfest, David Pritchard from Camosun College Hospitality Management program brings his crew of students to prepare a delicious meal sourced from local butchers, bakeries, and food producers. Hoyne Brewing Company will once again share their draught choices and local musicians Bučan Bučan, the Aaron Watson Trio, and Peter Wilks bring us the traditions of music and dance.

Join us at the Oaklands Community Centre to eat, drink, and Prost (cheers) to create a sense of belonging, and ultimately celebrate our community.

Tickets are $20 in advance and available at the Oaklands Community Centre, by phone at 250-370-9101 , or online at oaklandsoktoberfest. eventbrite.ca . Find out more about the Monthly Community Dinner at oaklandscommunitycentre.com.

buzz:

Dinner and Hoyne beer from Oktoberfest 2016. Photo: Allieren Ward

Abundant youth activities in Fernwood More Out of School Care spaces and programs for youth

›› Laura Burki More spaces in Fernwood NRG’s Out of School Care Program:

Fernwood NRG’s Out of School Care programming is thriving, with a dedicated staff team providing a space for kid’s in our community that is safe and inclusive. One of the guiding values for the Out of School Care Program is for children to connect with nature, which deepens their understanding of place and fosters stewardship.

This is happening daily with the youth and the Fernwood NRG team.

A new school year has begun and the Out of School Care department is growing! Out of School Care has expanded to offer 24 new spots off-site at George Jay Elementary School, which kicked off late September. The Out of School Care staff team is ready to play, explore and do arts and crafts with these incredible kids.

Fernwood NRG has been working hard to support our community with more options for care. Now, with 24 new kids joining us, we are able to take our naturebased programming to a whole new level.

www.fernwoodnrg.ca

Keeping Fernwood Community Healthy Physiotherapy/IMS Naturopathy Acupuncture Chiropractor Pelvic Floor Health Vestibular Rehab Stress Management Workshops Pilates & Yoga* RMT Massage

New Youth Programming at the Centre!

Many new Youth Programs have begun out of the Fernwood Community Centre including the Fernwood Student Dinner, ROOTED Youth Leadership Group, Outdoor Pursuits and Sports Drop-In. Fernwood Student Dinner is a drop-in, by-donation dinner every Wednesday from 6:00-7:30pm at the Fernwood Community Centre gymnasium, students of all ages are welcome!

ROOTED, for ages 15 to 19, explores creative ways youth can learn and get experience with leadership skills every Wednesday during the Fernwood Student Dinner from 6:00-7:30pm.

Outdoor Pursuits, for ages 12 to 15, is a program on Saturdays from 9:00am12:00pm where youth will go on adventures including hiking, kayaking, canoeing and more!

On the first and fourth Friday of the month, a Sports Drop-In will be held for ages 7 to 11 in the gym at the Fernwood Community Centre from 6:00-8:00pm.

All programs are by donation. Come check it out and tell us what you think! See you in the neighbourhood.

For more information, please visit fernwoodnrg.ca or contact Laura, acting Child and Youth Programs Coordinator, at laura@fernwoodnrg.ca.

*Therapeutic one-on-one or small group session available

Ph: 250-381-7473 *referrals not required

www.risehealth.ca

1275 Bay Street

*online booking available

(at Fernwood Rd) *free parking

RISE TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

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Scene in Fernwood : Sunset Market in the Square