Youth in the Jane/Finch community, like youth in other ‘marginalized’ urban cities, have been the focus of negative public communication that brands them as ‘problems.’ Extensive negative media coverage of the community has resulted in the association of Jane/Finch with youth-on-youth violence, poverty, and lack of opportunity. Paradoxically, co-existing with this negative framing of Jane/Finch is a high degree of passion, identification, and loyalty that is felt by people who live and work in the community.
As you will read in the upcoming issue of our Youth Newsletter, Youth Intern Asim Aziz and ACT for Youth collaborator Julia Janes have developed a media literacy workshop to empower Jane/Finch youth to read messages critically.
Another great way to dispel myths and stereotypes about the Jane/Finch community is to invite those from outside Jane/Finch to visit and engage with the community.
On Saturday, May 5th, Torontonians from neighbourhoods across the city are invited to Jane/Finch for a Jane’s Walk.
Jane’s Walk celebrates the ideas and legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs by getting people out exploring their neighbourhoods and meeting their neighbours. Free walking tours are held on the first weekend of May each year and are led by locals who want to create a space for residents to talk about what matters to them in the places they live and work. There are dozens of walks happening across Toronto, including “Jane Street Jaunt from Finch to Farm”, which will allow participants to discover a number of hidden green spaces, learn about the history of the Black Creek area, hear about exciting community programs and environmental projects, and get familiar with the built form and ‘walkability’ of the area. All Jane’s Walk events are FREE and open to everyone!
This walk is being coordinated by a number of community partners who will be available on the walk to share stories and point out areas of interest and activity, including our friends at the Green Change Project and The Spot (of the Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre) and York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies.
Learn more about “Jane Street Jaunt from Finch to Farm” and invite your friends and family from beyond the Jane/Finch community to participate. Then consider joining the walk, too – you may learn something about your community that you never knew! Or join a Jane’s Walk in a part of the city that you’ve never visited. We can celebrate our community pride while also coming together as residents of one united city. Happy walking!