Ajashki is firstu's response to the truth and reconciliation commission's call to action, the united nations sustainable development goal #2 to end poverty, and undrip's effort to reduce systemic racism.The Ajashki Food Security and Climate Change Learning Centre wants to harness the potential of youth leaders by offering paid employment while promoting access to Indigenous language and culture related to ancestral gardening practices. The Ajashki "HEART" Garden Project gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ottawa Community Foundation, the Parkdale Food centre, Growing Futures and Mino-Wessini.
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Want to support Ajashki's efforts in food security and education? We invite you or your business or organization to become a Monthly Donor. You will be welcomed to our garden gatherings and receive regular updates. Click HERE for how to donate on a monthly basis.
What is the Ajashki Project
The Ajashki Learning Centre is a response to The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to action, the United Nations sustainable development goal #2 to end poverty, and UNDRIP's effort to reduce systemic racism. It was created as a special reconciliation project of FirstU and has evolved into a program and operates as a youth collective.
The word "Ajashki" means soil in Algonquin.
The Ajashki Learning Centre offers paid employment and skills development for youth. The youth are employed to create, build and maintain the food gardens on the campus, Operate and maintain the grow towers, make products to sell for our makerspace program and help with other activities such as; cooking, cleaning, making art, workshops and fundraising.
The youth are of mixed indigenous and non-indigenous heritage to promote relationship building in the spirit of reconciliation. The Ajaski gardens are registered as a "heart garden" with the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society, as a way to remember and honour the lives lost at residential schools.
What started as 4 veggie garden beds back in 2021 has grown into a large functioning garden complete with rain water collection system from the roof of the church, 8 compost bins, 16 fruit and veggie beds, a native plant garden, a shade garden, apple and pear trees, the RE garden for the children, a collection of First nations murals, a collection of Inuit murals and a squirrel protector 3000 to protect the produce from critters.
Ajashki continues to grow, learn and educate about food security and climate change.
The Ajashki Learning Centre is a response to The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to action, the United Nations sustainable development goal #2 to end poverty, and UNDRIP's effort to reduce systemic racism. It was created as a special reconciliation project of FirstU and has evolved into a program and operates as a youth collective.
The word "Ajashki" means soil in Algonquin.
The Ajashki Learning Centre offers paid employment and skills development for youth. The youth are employed to create, build and maintain the food gardens on the campus, Operate and maintain the grow towers, make products to sell for our makerspace program and help with other activities such as; cooking, cleaning, making art, workshops and fundraising.
The youth are of mixed indigenous and non-indigenous heritage to promote relationship building in the spirit of reconciliation. The Ajaski gardens are registered as a "heart garden" with the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society, as a way to remember and honour the lives lost at residential schools.
What started as 4 veggie garden beds back in 2021 has grown into a large functioning garden complete with rain water collection system from the roof of the church, 8 compost bins, 16 fruit and veggie beds, a native plant garden, a shade garden, apple and pear trees, the RE garden for the children, a collection of First nations murals, a collection of Inuit murals and a squirrel protector 3000 to protect the produce from critters.
Ajashki continues to grow, learn and educate about food security and climate change.
What's Growing on with Ajashki
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On October 10th, 2024, Ajashki hosted their end-of-season Harvest Celebration and unveiled the three new murals, by Inuk artist Aija Komangapik.
Guest speakers included Christopher Church, manager of the Youth Program at Tungasuvvingat Inuit and Canadian Inuit Olympic Gold Medal winner of the High Kick, and hip hop artist Northern Knowledge, who is also the founder of Strong Minded Inuit, a youth-led initiative that uses music, art, language, and culture as a positive outlet that provides Inuit cultural awareness, training, and life promotion through workshops and musical performances. Delicious Country Food was provided by Tungasuvvingat Inuit, Whiteduck Farm, and the Ajashki garden, with Ajashki's Future Food Warriors cooking up Caribou soup, bannock, and gluten-free fry bread. |
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ajashki in the NEWS!
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For the first time this year, Ecology Ottawa, the city's leading environmental organization, offered a series of ECO AWARDS. We're so pleased to announce that the Ajashki Food Security and Climate Change Learning Centre has been recognized with a Climate Champion Award! Read about all the award winners HERE.
"First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa is showing strong leadership by supporting the Ajashki Food Security and Climate Change Learning Centre conceived by Elder Verna McGregor. This Special Reconciliation Project will now expand to include the Ontario Aboriginal Housing Service in a Land Back Initiative so they can build Affordable Housing for Indigenous People on this Campus beside Ajashki." ~ Community Member |
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Ajashki Garden Project Recognized by SOUL!
We’re excited to announce that the Ajashki Garden Project has received a Greener Greenspace award from the Society for Organic Urban Landcare (SOUL)! The project was particularly recognized for its use of urban space as a tool to educate youth on food security, as well as by the impressive transformation of the site in just 24 months! Kayoki Whiteduck, the Ajashki Gardener, has offered to present at SOUL's upcoming Greener Green Spaces webinar series. |
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Kakitigejik - The Gardener
Kayoki Whiteduck
Kayoki is a young Algonquin Anishinabe farmer from Kitigan Zibi. He is a young man with a vision to teach other Indigenous youth how to grow their own food, in an effort to address food insecurity in urban First Nation communities. Kayoki is a strong advocate for sustainable, regenerative permaculture, farming and gardening practices. He has received a Certificate in Horticulture from Camosun College in Victoria, B.C. and has studied Western Herbalism at the International Academy of Health Sciences in Ottawa. Kayoki is the first Indigenous person to be selected to the Canadian Agriculture Youth Council (CAYC). He was recently chosen to co-chair the CAYC's Climate Change Initiative. This past April, Kayoki was FirstU’s Youth Delegate to the UN Intergenerational Conference: All in for Climate Justice, Food Equity and Sustainability. Kayoki grows and markets teas from plants that he cultivates, or harvests from tended wild areas.
Kayoki has an inherent understanding of the interconnectedness of the natural world. He cares deeply about fostering the interaction of people with nature and people with each other. He supports participants to accept differences and recognize shared values, ideas, goals, and experiences and leads them to better understand themselves and others while showing them the possibilities in food production and an understanding of the importance of caring for the earth.
Kayoki and the Future Food Warriors are onsite for two days a week, working in the garden and engaging in structured learning about plant identification, local wild sources of food, sustainable soil amendment and plant care practices, climate effects on food production, and harvest and food sharing. Through skills development, the potential for future youth leaders will be developed, and participants will be introduced to the possibilities of future employment in agriculture while enjoying a shared harvest.
Kayoki Whiteduck
Kayoki is a young Algonquin Anishinabe farmer from Kitigan Zibi. He is a young man with a vision to teach other Indigenous youth how to grow their own food, in an effort to address food insecurity in urban First Nation communities. Kayoki is a strong advocate for sustainable, regenerative permaculture, farming and gardening practices. He has received a Certificate in Horticulture from Camosun College in Victoria, B.C. and has studied Western Herbalism at the International Academy of Health Sciences in Ottawa. Kayoki is the first Indigenous person to be selected to the Canadian Agriculture Youth Council (CAYC). He was recently chosen to co-chair the CAYC's Climate Change Initiative. This past April, Kayoki was FirstU’s Youth Delegate to the UN Intergenerational Conference: All in for Climate Justice, Food Equity and Sustainability. Kayoki grows and markets teas from plants that he cultivates, or harvests from tended wild areas.
Kayoki has an inherent understanding of the interconnectedness of the natural world. He cares deeply about fostering the interaction of people with nature and people with each other. He supports participants to accept differences and recognize shared values, ideas, goals, and experiences and leads them to better understand themselves and others while showing them the possibilities in food production and an understanding of the importance of caring for the earth.
Kayoki and the Future Food Warriors are onsite for two days a week, working in the garden and engaging in structured learning about plant identification, local wild sources of food, sustainable soil amendment and plant care practices, climate effects on food production, and harvest and food sharing. Through skills development, the potential for future youth leaders will be developed, and participants will be introduced to the possibilities of future employment in agriculture while enjoying a shared harvest.
Ajashki Heart Garden Signage
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Garden Beds
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Kayoki at the 2021 Garden-Closing Ceremony
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Dashan Pimosen Kitiganing - Come Walk in the Garden
For a congregation seeking a Green Sanctuary Accreditation, Ajashki fulfills the accreditation requirements for working with traditionally marginalized communities in our area. It is one of many actions being taken by the FirstU community to recognize our responsibility for environmental and climate justice. Ajashki helps us to respond in practical, functional and caring ways, greening the campus, learning to appreciate what is already there, promoting understanding across cultures and helping to prepare youth to face personal and community challenges.
Ajashki invites everyone to come walk in the garden and delight in the bounty that nature provides.
For a congregation seeking a Green Sanctuary Accreditation, Ajashki fulfills the accreditation requirements for working with traditionally marginalized communities in our area. It is one of many actions being taken by the FirstU community to recognize our responsibility for environmental and climate justice. Ajashki helps us to respond in practical, functional and caring ways, greening the campus, learning to appreciate what is already there, promoting understanding across cultures and helping to prepare youth to face personal and community challenges.
Ajashki invites everyone to come walk in the garden and delight in the bounty that nature provides.
