Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre (MNFC): Mijipjewey Kepmite’timu’k Food Security Program. Through various food-based programming, such as community gardens, feasts, and nutritional classes, we will engage in learning and sharing Indigenous land-based food knowledge, grounding our practices in respect and awareness. Our approach prioritizes a trauma-informed, person-centered, and decolonized framework, emphasizing harm-reduction principles so that everyone feels valued, included, and empowered in their relationship with food and one another. Examples of ways MNFC will be involved include garden planting, Potential use of canning machines and/or dehydrators as required, hosting a summer workshop, and participating in the dinner.

Hope Blooms engages youth in the high-needs community of North End Halifax to become change agents. They create innovative environments for long-term impact in food security, education, social inclusion and disrupting the cycle of poverty. Hope Blooms initiatives are inclusive and diverse. Working together, the community builds urban organic food systems for everyone’s benefit. Programs are based on experiential learning. This social entrepreneurship creates an impact that is inspiring and supportive. More importantly, it mobilizes positive change. Examples of how Hope Blooms will be involved includes garden planning, hosting and maintaining garden boxes, workshop host and hosting the harvest and dinner taking place in October in their greenhouse.

Alliance Française Halifaxis a Canadian not-for-profit association dedicated to the promotion of the French language and French-speaking cultures. This association is part of the Alliance Française Foundation, the world’s largest network of French language schools and cultural centers. Examples of how Alliance Française will be involved include hosting a French-language workshop and engagement with their bee pollinator garden.

Every One Every Day Day Kjipuktuk is working with local residents in the North End of Kjipuktuk (Halifax) to build a new system of neighbourhood participation that has the potential to transform how we live and learn together every day. Central to their approach is resident engagement, and they will build this into their process of developing how they engage with the project.

Land Connects Us is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded project led by Dr. Joshua Schwab-Cartas. Assistant Professor, Art Education, Division of Art History & Contemporary Culture, NSCAD University. There is a broad range of engagement opportunities, including hosting a workshop.

Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) supports artists through education, connection and advocacy. We operate across Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the L’nu people, also known as Nova Scotia. We prioritize artist-to-artist learning through workshops, mentorship, and sharing information about meaningful opportunities. Visual Arts Nova Scotia advocates for artists by listening to their concerns, speaking up for their needs, and creating platforms to share their work. Recognizing that equity-deserving artists face additional barriers to a career in the arts, Visual Arts Nova Scotia works to make resources accessible to artists across the province, while prioritizing support for those who are impacted by systemic oppression.

Zonghua Ai (any/all) is a Chinese crafter, phytochemist (that means they study plant chemistry!) and food scientist. They like to walk in the woods, identify plants and mushrooms, and take photos of them. Zonghua's work of craft includes stories, bone jewelry, and maps.NOISEmakers Alumni 2023. Zonghua is an alumni of Nocturne’s NOISEmakers Program (2023) and has hosted Kjipuktuk foraging tours as part of programming for Eyelevel Gallery. There is an opportunity for Zonghua to host a foraging walk/workshop.

Sydney Wreaks (they/them) is an Interdisciplinary artist & educator. They are of Kanien'kehá:ka & euro-settler descent growing as an uninvited guest in Mikma'ki. They just finished the Masters in Art Education program at NSCAD University. Their work looks at challenging colonial narratives and using the practice of counter-memorization as a way to confront cultural amnesia. Sydney also has a visual arts practice that includes Beadwork, that can expand into painting and textiles.

Sophie Pilipczuk is an artist, writer, mother, and magic maker. Sophie will be hosting a French-language workshop presented by Alliance Française.