Youthcore.ca

LifeCycles – Teacher info

Lifecycles is a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to cultivating awareness of and initiating action around food, health and urban sustainability in the Greater Victoria community. This predominantly youth driven organization is geared towards education and building community connections through hands-on projects that work towards creating better local and global food security.
Food Action and Education
We live in an abundant city and it is important that all people at all times have access to healthy food. We help to create community gardens and urban organic food gardens in people's backyards, balconies and rooftops through the HomeGrown Gardening, Sharing Backyards, and Growing Schools programs.

Growing Schools also offers both school and community based education programs to teach about food security, sustainable agriculture and urban agriculture. The Fruit Tree Project plays a role in trying to get available food to those who need it most by the redistribution of food that would otherwise go to waste. Food Miles helps people determine how far their food has traveled, and how many green house gasses were emitted along the way

Community Mapping, Food Policy and Planning
LifeCycles has partnered with Common Ground for the past 5 year to help communities, neighbourhoods, and individuals assess their resources and plan for the future by supporting them in the participatory development of community plans and green maps. Our Common Ground project has helped develop numerous Community Green Maps. Our Go Greenways! project is supporting the creation of greenways in Greater Victoria.

GroundWorks is our resource centre for those interested in community mapping and sustainability initiatives.

LifeCycles plays an active role in Food Planning, alongside other organizations, who form the collaborative, Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiative Roundtable (CR-FAIR). CR-FAIR has worked together over the past 10 years to address Food Security, Planning and Policy in the region.

On a neighbourhood level, LifeCycles helps communities to vision what their local food system could like. Together a community food action plan is developed and implemented.

Youth Engagement
YouthCore is a Comprehensive Community Initiative, meaning that we are attempting to put together a unique program that will work with a variety of service providers, private sector representatives and the volunteer sector to create more connections and working partnerships between existing and developing youth assets and allies in Greater Victoria.. LifeCycles' Youth Food and Agriculture Program build life and employability skills building capacity in the local food economy.

Community Enterprise
LifeCycles works hard to promote and develop ethical and sustainable business in the Greater Victoria Region. Working together with VanCity, LifeCycles offers the Green Seed Fund as a means to support local entrepreneurial ideas and initiatives. Business is Growing provides training, speakers, and access to resources and networking to those starting or running a food or farm business.