Pheasant Rump Nakota, Saskatchewan
Year(s) Funded: 2019-2020
Topic Area: Mental Health Title: Feasibility Study of Community Park with a Food Forest
Action: Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation created a park and planted gardens using plants that best adapt to climate change. The initial phase of the project consisted of a feasibility study which aimed to collect qualitative data from the community, and to ask Elders for guidance on what the best plants are with respect to growing conditions in the area. Academic partners were invited to work on the study and assisted with the quantitative data, soil samples, and project design. A youth member was identified to lead the program in into the implementation phase of the project. Other students also worked to support the lead in managing this project, and helped to create an area in the park where plants now have relief from the heat and from harmful emissions. The park provides a beautiful sanctuary and a place where the community can come together. More specifically the park serves as: as an outdoor classroom which stimulates the imagination, a space for creativity, a place that encourages physical activity; and a space that provides a healthy food source. Indigenous knowledge and western knowledge systems were combined in in the spirit of reconciliation and the project had many positive outcomes as a result. |
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