Amid awkward giggles and “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang playing in the background, we held an impromptu certificate ceremony in a Maple Leafs-themed youth lounge before heading to a celebratory dinner with the participants who completed our Alexandra Park Youth Journalism Program in collaboration with Scadding Court Community Centre.

Over the course of the past four months, we used an upcycled container — what we call our engagement outpost and community newsroom — in Market 707 to invite community members in Alexandra Park, Kensington Market and Chinatown to share their perspectives on the problems in their neighbourhoods and their information needs. Even though stopping strangers passing by was daunting at first, our youth journalists slowly built the confidence and skills to have insightful conversations. By the end of the program, they collected 250 community survey responses that will now inform how The Green Line covers the area.

A first step in this community-driven coverage is our YouTube series “Know Your Neighbour,” which profiles the people and places important to community members in Alexandra Park, Kensington Market and Chinatown. From profiles of local food vendors to interviews with workers at community centres and a food bank, all the stories were pitched, filmed and edited by our youth journalists who harnessed the video-production tools and interview skills we taught them to produce fun and informative videos with and for their communities.