Three Sisters Garden and Indigenous Poets Society make a difference thanks to Upstream Fund
The Upstream Funding Model is helping bring projects to life for community builders across Waterloo Region.
In Kitchener, the Three Sisters Garden is more than a community garden. It’s a place for teaching and learning, a place to build relationships and care for the land. Food grown in the gardens feeds people in our community.
The Three Sisters Garden, also known as Wisahkotewinowak, received support from the Upstream Fund to help offer education, offer people opportunities for food sovereignty and security, and provide engagement and employment for Indigenous youth in Waterloo Region.
“That opens us up to so many possibilities,” says Mikal Kuzmich, garden co-ordinator.
Another recent Upstream recipient, the Indigenous Poets Society, is a creative collective that works to support Indigenous voices through storytelling, spoken word, and visual arts.
With support from this Region of Waterloo funding, they’re publishing a book and holding new workshops and events.
Check out this video to learn more about these projects:
The Region of Waterloo co-created the Upstream Funding model alongside the community in 2022. It includes the Upstream Fund and Community Capacity Building Funds, with the intent to shift power and resources to community. Investing this way was a key call to action from the community as part of the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan process.
Over two years, over $9 million of Upstream and CCB Funding has supported 70+ organizations and grassroots groups. Recipients are as diverse as the needs of community. Learn more about the past Upstream participants, and their projects that impact our region.
P.S. Check out the first and second videos of this series, to hear more about the positive effects Upstream has had on Waterloo Region.