AgScape celebrates one million educational experiences

AgScape celebrated the milestone achievement of providing over one million educational experiences to Ontario students at its annual general meeting last month.

The event, held at The Arboretum, University of Guelph, brought together over 80 of AgScape’s stakeholders to celebrate the past year’s achievements and discuss future initiatives, the organization said in a release.

Mira Lyonblum, executive director of AgScape, said “Last year, AgScape reached over one million educational experiences for the first time, marking a major milestone in our mission to ensure every student in Ontario can engage in innovative agriculture and food education experiences.”

Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board, shared the value of partnering with AgScape and how it aligns with her organization’s focus on agriculture and food career exploration for youth. Kylie Cumming, a secondary school teacher and the recipient of AgScape’s 2023 Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Food Education Award, shared the value she finds in leveraging AgScape’s educational programs and resources in her classroom.

Additionally, the annual meeting featured two interactive demonstrations of AgScape’s Teacher Ambassador Program and thinkAG Career Competition, giving attendees a hands-on experience of the innovative ways AgScape engages youth in Ontario.

Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs (formerly Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), delivered closing remarks and announced investments from the governments of Canada and Ontario to further joint efforts in empowering youth and educators to understand their relationship with Ontario’s agriculture and food system and ignite interest in related careers.

During the election portion of the meeting for AgScape’s 2024/2025 Board of Directors, the following individuals were elected:

• Victoria Berry of Grain Farmers of Ontario as Board Chair
• Sarah Andrewes of Hill+Knowlton Strategies as Vice Chair
• Jim McMillan of McMillan Farms as Treasurer
• Jennifer Kyle of Beef Farmers of Ontario and Michael Black​ of Synthesis Agri-Food Network​ to corporate seats
• Phil Emmott of ​Corteva Agriscience and Mason Ballek​ of FarmTogether to community seats