Trent Community Research Centre

This feasibility study is a tool that will be used to determine if an Anishnaabemowin Immersion Elementary School and Early Years Centre is feasible within the City of Peterborough. This study is designed to assist in the decision making process set out by the Nawewin Working Group.

This short document offers key findings and conclusions from research I carried out from 2015 to 2017 as part of my Master's degree at Trent University in Canadian and Indigenous Studies. The purpose of the research was to document an oral history of the New Canadians Centre and immigration to Peterborough, focusing on the period from 1979 to 1997. I have prepared this document as a summary of the full Master's thesis for research participants. In sharing this document, I invite participants to share their feedback on the research. I will incorporate participants' feedback as I prepare the final version of the thesis, to be submitted to Trent University in January 2018.

Community gardening is integral to the creation of sustainable local food systems, providing fresh, healthy, nutritious food, while fostering resilient community spaces. The purpose of this study is to build on existing knowledge about the social benefits of community gardens and explore their application in the context of Peterborough. This research is conducted on behalf of Nourish, a community organization actively working to address food issues. Through this research, the social values of community gardening in Peterborough will help inform Nourish programming, outreach, and future grant proposals. In Peterborough, the unique social benefits experienced by community gardeners revealed a health-conscious orientation, supported by evidence of social cohesion and enhanced food security.

This report is the culminating piece of a four-month evaluation of the Amigos school Program of Heads up for Inclusion. The project had two objectives: 1) Evaluate the success of the Amigos school program since its implementation in 2001 from the perspective of teachers, students and parents/guardians of the participants, and 2) To research and provide the host with best evaluation practices for the program in the future. A literature review of best practices for inclusion of similar programs around North America was completed prior to data collection, while primary data was gathered using semi-structured interviews conducted in February and March 2018. Three interviews were conducted with different stakeholders who are involved with or have been formerly involved with the implementation of the program.

This project was developed for the Northumberland Land Trust (NLT) to assess and determine the suitability of the Laurie Lawson Education Centre property in Cobourg; for possible salamander introduction. In the initial research for this project many experts and expert literature sources were consulted to develop methods of assessment and to layout our onsite research. From this research we established that there are many factors which might affect survival of salamanders in an established population, and that would affect the suitability of habitat for translocation of salamanders. The substantial number of vernal pools on the property was the main reason for the Northumberland Land Trust's request for research and an assessment into the property's suitability.

This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the Aspire program based out of the John Howard Society of Peterborough. This program aims at assisting youth ages 17-25 in achieving their personal career and training goals through mentor-based relationships. Methods of analysis include literature review and semi-structured interviews. A review of academic and grey literature on engaging young adults in positive development through mentoring relationships was completed. The semi- structured interview aspect of the research focused on identifying the aspects of successful mentoring relationships that have lasted more than three months and assessing the effectiveness of the Aspire program as it is currently practiced. Currently there are six mentoring matches at the John Howard Society which have exceeded three months in length. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with mentors and mentees involved in the program. The interviews focused on the participants' experiences in the program and were not life history type interviews. The data obtained was transcribed and analyzed using coding and grounded theory. The data collected suggests that that mentoring relationships can contribute to positive youth development. In particular, mentoring relationships that last a year or more tend to show increased signs of positive youth development. The report finds the prospects of the Aspire Program in its current position are positive, however implementation in some areas of the program could be improved. The areas of weakness require further investigation and action by the management of the program. However, these results are based on a small sample size so may not be generalizable to the program as a whole. The report also investigates the fact that the analysis conducted has limitations. Some of these limitations include; data limitations as a result of the small group of interviewees.