Funding to Connect More Youth to Innovative Programs
Environment and Climate Change Minister Timothy Halman tours the Hope Blooms greenhouse in 2023. (Province of Nova Scotia / File)
More youth living in north-end Halifax will have access to programs focused on environmental stewardship, social entrepreneurship, arts, science and music with provincial funding for Hope Blooms.
Hope Blooms has received $138,000 from the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund to build a new solar-powered, off-grid, multi-purpose building to host the programming.
Twila Grosse, Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs, announced the funding today, July 17, on behalf of Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
“Strong communities are built when young people have opportunities to learn, lead and see themselves reflected in the future around them,” said Minister Grosse. “This investment will help create a welcoming space where African Nova Scotian youth, alongside other youth in the community, can build skills, confidence and lasting connections.”
The funding will support building design and the purchase of solar panels and heat pumps. Because of a current lack of space, Hope Blooms is having to turn youth away from these programs and has a growing wait list.
The Hot Cocoa Boys, a sub-group of Hope Blooms, came up with the idea for the building and raised money through their social enterprise. OSO Planning + Design is working with Hope Blooms on the new building, which will double Hope Blooms’ programming capacity.
Quotes:
“For Uniacke Square specifically, this matters deeply. This is a historically marginalized, predominantly African Nova Scotian community that has not always had access to high-quality, purpose-built spaces. A green, accessible, community-owned facility in the heart of this neighbourhood sends a clear message: this community deserves infrastructure that is beautiful, innovative and sustainable, and the youth who have been overseen are the ones building it.”
— Veronica Gutierrez, Director of Growth and Sustainability, Hope Blooms
Quick Facts:
- Hope Blooms is a youth-run social enterprise in Halifax’s North End with a mandate to create innovative approaches to address food insecurity, social inclusion and poverty
- in 2023, Hope Blooms received $130,000 from the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, which helps Nova Scotians adapt to climate change and mitigate its impact, to install a solar tracker that generates solar energy to power their operations, the first of its kind in the province
- the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund was created in 2021 as part of the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, a legislated commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, respond to climate change, transform how Nova Scotians produce and use energy, make homes and buildings energy efficient, and more
- eligible funding recipients are municipalities, non-profit and community organizations, post-secondary institutions and Mi’kmaw communities
- since launching, the fund has provided about $15 million for projects that help Nova Scotians respond to climate change
Additional Resources:
More information on the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund is available at: https://nschallengefund.ca/
News releases about the fund and related projects: https://news.novascotia.ca/search/all?field_topics=228
Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/environmental%20goals%20and%20climate%20change%20reduction.pdf
Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ns-climate-change-plan.pdf
Powering the Transition: Nova Scotia 2025 Climate Change Risk Assessment: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/climate-change-risk--assessment-2025.pdf