Gardening as a cure to gun crime? For Solomon Boyé, a former elder at Victoria Royce Church, Toronto, the two ideas are a match. "Nature is resilient but you have to abide by the rules," said Boyé. "If you don't weed, the plants will be choked out. If you don't water, the plants will wither and die. We use the garden to teach patience and caring."
Boyé is the coordinator of Toronto's community gardens program – a project that brought together various groups to increase gardens in the city and help at-risk youth. "Why not hire youth to work the gardens?" he asked. "They can walk to work and their backyard becomes their workplace. They take care of it."
He said investing in the community is key when it comes to curbing Toronto's recent rise in gun crime. The project helps youth value their community and the land on which they live, while developing a sense of pride and responsibility and a healthy work ethic. Seeing the fruits of their labour is also a motivator for future success. Sensitivity training, tolerance and diversity issues are taught as opportunities arise. "The idea is to learn as much as possible that can be applied elsewhere," said Boyé. "They learn technical skills, as well as life skills and application."
The original initiative began as a partnership with FoodShare Toronto, a holistic organization working to make food a priority at all levels of society. The city of Toronto soon became involved, offering more opportunities and a cohesive, organized program. It has become so popular that there is a waiting list to be hired on the farm. Employees are paid $10 an hour for work that stretches from May to August.
Boyé's concern for the environment began with a degree in agricultural business from Guelph University. A native of Ghana, he began working with the city's parks department in 1989 as a parks labourer, and worked his way up. Since then, he has been honored with an Ethics in Action award in 2001, recognizing leadership in corporate social responsibility. His interest in troubled youth began at Victoria Royce, where he visited half-way homes with the church's then-minister, Rev. George French, who remains a good friend.
"Many of the youth start and have no idea what it will yield, but they see how it's all connected and the person is transformed," said Boyé. "The land gives freedom. It liberates you."
There are numerous ways to get involved in community gardening in Toronto. The Junior Gardener Program works with local schools to teach kids about caring for the land. The Peer Nutrition Program brings different nationalities together to teach each other their traditional ways of gardening and farming. The Community Gardens Volunteer Stewardship Program is open to anyone wanting to learn more about gardening-particularly using organic methods. Boyé said an average of 15 people come out each week. Various nutrition and health programs operated in cooperation with Toronto Public Health take place at the training centre. A recent offering was on nutrition and obesity and taught the values of aerobic gardening, exercise and the healthy food a harvest yields.
