Post Draft-Submission
This week, we found a lot of relief and confidence after submitting our drafts. Earlier in the week, we were all stressed about meeting the word count and the possibility of overlapping with each other’s sections while writing simultaneously. However, we now realize how prepared we’ve been for weeks, having already created an outline and met virtually in advance to delegate tasks. Each section was divided into key questions so that each group member would know what they were explicitly addressing in their portion of the final article and so the final product could be cohesive.
Update on Podcast
We are finishing up the podcast and solidifying our approach to creating a narrative and atmosphere for the final product. Nick recorded outside noises on his phone—particularly streetcars and birds chirping (the prevalent sounds outside Daniel's spectrum last Thursday night). We’re currently in the process of weaving together all the information and interview audio into a cohesive narrative. Our goal is to emphasize the tension between the revitalization and the positive impact that gardening has had on our interviewees by adding in soft music in certain moments and contrasting it with sounds like construction noise. This would be a punchy way of reinforcing the message that something is being stripped away rather than added to the neighbourhood.
Final Paper
Our final paper successfully supports our thesis that gardening and green space are directly linked to food security and, thus, economic justice.
Food security is directly linked to financial security. If people continue to experience food security issues, which is likely, given how difficult it is to access gardening spaces in the revitalized buildings, they will undoubtedly find themselves experiencing some level of financial insecurity. This is especially pressing nowadays that the prices of groceries continue to rise.
Next Steps
Overall, we feel well prepared for the next steps. We haven’t even incorporated all our sections yet, and we already have more writing than we initially expected. Meeting the word count and finalizing an article that we are proud of no longer feels like a distant goal! Nick found seeds at Home Depot (luckily before the spring rush). We have also discussed budgeting to determine the best printing option for the seed book. After considering several choices, we decided on a 20-page booklet from Reflex Print that fits both the vision and the budget.
Us recording our podcast in the Regent Radio
The Growing Regent Park team members are Lukas, Nicholas, Saima, Zahra, and Zhiyi