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À chaque mois, nous abordons un thème différent avec un mot de la direction ainsi que de courtes vignettes portant sur les fonds, les philanthropes et les organismes qui forment la communauté de la FGM en se mettant à l’écoute et au service de la communauté du Grand Montréal.
The Gardens of Hope (Jardins de l’Espoir) is an initiative born in Kanehsatà:ke, with a mission to create a space for sharing, transmitting, and celebrating ecological knowledge. The project highlights the traditional, intercultural, and intergenerational knowledge of the First Nations. In addition to producing and freely distributing agricultural goods to community members, the Gardens provide a place of education and healing for individuals experiencing marginalization. It also creates opportunities for communities to come together, fostering learning about the history of relations between the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation and non-Indigenous populations, as well as the importance of reconciliation.
Originally launched as an economic development project through eco-agriculture aimed at strengthening food autonomy in the Kanehsatà:ke community, the Gardens of Hope have evolved into a multi-faceted community initiative. Its mission is rooted in the context of a lack of services in the community. For decades, Kanehsatà:ke has not had the opportunity to fully develop its social and community infrastructure to meet the needs of its population, which faces high rates of poverty, food insecurity, and soil and water contamination from nearby illegal dumping. The Gardens offer a more hopeful narrative for the community’s youth, reconnecting them with nature and their ancestral knowledge. By enabling the community to feed itself, the Gardens foster a sense of self-sufficiency and self-determination. They also welcome groups from Montreal, including Indigenous organizations (such as Projets Autochtones du Québec and Montréal Autochtone) and non-Indigenous organizations committed to reconciliation (such as Innovation Jeunesse).
Due to the lack of arable land in the community, the Gardens are located on the family property of Karyne Murray, the founder and director of the initiative. Karyne and her family began cultivating the land and distributing free fresh produce to community members during the pandemic. Noticing the positive impact of gardening on her own well-being, Karyne decided to extend this opportunity to others—particularly those living with addiction, complex trauma, and marginalization—as a path to recovery. The Gardens now host youth, as well as workers experiencing homelessness, addiction, or mental health challenges through a partnership with Café Parenthèse, an organization in the neighboring community of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac. The Gardens also lead educational workshops in local schools and other community organizations.
