Downtown London has some great arts and culture venues and many captivating businesses, parks, and landmarks. There are excellent festivals, events and concerts that happen downtown, which help drive residents and visitors to support businesses in the area. Teenagers can help to influence this activity and the overall culture. With youth having such an impact on society, I wanted to share some ideas of how we can attract more teenagers to downtown London.
Throughout this pandemic we have come to know the feeling of nearly losing our minds because we are unable to be around others. This has given us time to dream about creating places where we can gather. Quarantine is so boring, but gradually we will be able to return to public spaces. Looking at St. Thomas specifically, how can we really make our city a wonderful, welcoming place once we are finally set free? There are so many exciting possibilities!
On Thursday, June 11th, our team at young & free press announced an extraordinary donation of $750,000 from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell to the City of St. Thomas. This contribution includes $500,000 to support the establishment of the new Westlake-Evans Civic Park downtown, as well as $250,000 to boost the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project that will be coordinated through Railway City Tourism. We are very excited to help St. Thomas take another step toward becoming a major street art destination in Ontario.
Andrew Gunn and Maddie King of young & free press are acting as consultants on the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell. On Wednesday, June 10, we announced a donation of $100,000 to enhance the St. Thomas Elevated Park, as well as $115,000 to support the launch of the new ‘Art, Trees & Trails’ project in collaboration with the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre. Another $100,000 has been given to the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation to establish the ‘Evans Tree Fund’, which will support tree-planting in the community for decades to come.
On Saturday, June 6, 2020, approximately 10,000 people attended the Black Lives Matter protest in downtown London. The event, which was organized by a group of young Black women from London, started in Victoria Park and included a march around the downtown area.
Our team at young & free press is very excited to announce that the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell is contributing $1.25M to the Elgin – St. Thomas Community Foundation to support a series of projects in the Elgin County and St. Thomas area. With $100,000, the Foundation will establish the ‘Evans Tree Fund’, which will be a permanent fund that supports tree-planting in the community. The rest of the funds will be allocated to launch a series of remarkable projects across Elgin County and St. Thomas. More announcements will follow soon.
Through a donation of $155,000 from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell, the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority will be creating the first ‘water trail’ in Elgin County by allowing enhanced public access to the Dalewood Reservoir and Kettle Creek and purchasing canoes and kayaks for community members and visitors to use.
On Tuesday, May 26th, Maddie and Andrew joined representatives of the Catfish Creek Conservation Authority and Steelway Building Systems to highlight a donation of $335,000 from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell to build the new “Evans Sisters’ Stage” at Springwater Forest in Elgin County.
Spending time in nature has been proven to have many positive impacts on your mental and physical health. Exercising and getting outside is especially important right now because most of us are inside a lot more than usual, and might not have realized how much of a positive impact getting physical activity and being outside made on our lives until the pandemic. With that in mind, you might be looking for some fresh ideas to get outdoor exercise.
On May 14, 2020, the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation announced a new artist development program in conjunction with GROW, the Elgin/St. Thomas Small Business Enterprise Centre, and Railway City Tourism. GROW began in 2019 as a short-term pop-up retail space available to small businesses looking to test a brick and mortar model. Through feedback from users, the partnership is being redeveloped into a longer-term accelerator space that will open in the Caboose at the Jumbo Memorial as soon as it is feasible to do so in accordance with COVID-19 reopening phases. The GROW program is possible through a partnership with Fanshawe College. Financial support for the project has been generously provided by a private donor in collaboration with Andrew Gunn Consulting & our team at young & free press.
During the pandemic, I have definitely noticed through speaking with my extended family and on social media that many people are stretching out their food supply as much as possible. This leads me to this question: when things return to normal, will the same standard apply?
This pandemic is tough on everyone. We are cooped up in the house all day, unable to see anyone. It feels like there’s really nothing to do and it can be very hard to stay positive in a time like this. From the teenage perspective, we want to be free and go out, and we really miss our friends who we are used to seeing every day at school.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, parks and green-spaces have provided people the opportunity to seek some fresh air and a change of scenery. Our daily routines have changed drastically. With little information on when the pandemic will end, our need for parks and green-spaces will continue to grow. This raises the question: how could parks be better-designed to be adaptable and sustainable, even during a pandemic?
Throughout the course of this pandemic, we have noticed the effects on our social lives, relationships, businesses, families and friends. What has the impact been so far on seniors, who contribute so much to our communities as cherished family members, volunteers and donors?
Online schooling has been in place for a little less than a month now. When the announcement that we would be beginning online classes first came out, I was a bit worried. I’ve never taken an online class before, so I was unsure of how this would fit into my life.
We need good music right now. During the pandemic, we will all feel angry, sad, anxious, excited, and occasionally happy, and listening to music will help us express all those feelings and get through. During this time of isolation especially, I have been enjoying music for hours on end.
This is an extraordinary time to write about cities and towns. The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing everyone to reconsider how we use public spaces. There is so much uncertainty. Right now, the phrase ‘physical distancing’ has taken over, specifying the need to keep at least two metres away from others. For the immediate future, physical distancing is a necessity; if we are able to ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic, perhaps this will remain only as a guideline or recommendation. Life will be different, though. Post-pandemic, what will public spaces be like?
Last September I had the chance to attend the Toronto International Film Festival. Yes, this was my first film festival! I had no idea what to expect.
Many of our favourite moments have happened in downtown London. Lovely nights at local restaurants. Discovering new shops. Random experiences at festivals and events. Thought-provoking and inspiring shows at galleries, concert halls, and theatres. We have really had a great time in the City! More than anything right now, though, we miss the people that we have met along the way, the familiar faces in the restaurants, cafés, and shops.
The past few weeks have been very confusing for students. One of the hardest parts of the COVID-19 outbreak has been the overwhelming sense of uncertainty. There are many questions: Will we be returning to school this year? Will we be starting online classes? For high school seniors, the biggest question is obvious: will we be graduating this year? If not, what happens to our post-secondary plans? We have been given no answers, and that is scary.
