The chance to experience the culmination of a month of hard work and seeing my own projects put into practice made the festival that much more special for me!
In Toronto, we are lucky to be surrounded by nature even though we live in one of Canada’s largest cities. But at a time when consumerism and urban development are at their highest, it can be easy to forget about the importance of taking care of our environment. As Toronto grows, we must try that much harder to maintain our thriving urban forests.
That’s why I’m glad to have had a chance to intern at LEAF and be able to contribute to an organization whose goal is to continue to develop our urban forests and generate environmental awareness. I interned here as the Festival Assistant for the annual Leslieville Tree Festival – an event where non-profit organizations and businesses with the environment in mind share their ideas. The festival brings together over 400 people every year and this year, might I add, was a success. The weather was warm, the sky sunny and clear, the music and performances were impressive, the food delicious and laughter and chatting among the visitors and vendors made this event a clear favorite.
For my internship, I had the task of creating activities for the kids’ zone. The process was surprisingly challenging since the activities had to appeal to children of all ages. It was interesting to see how the activities carried out in real life and not just in the confines of my imagination. I learned that at events like these where there are a million things to do, it is more appealing for children to do something different than what they are used to. That’s why face painting and making grass heads seemed to have children running to the kids’ zone with their parents chasing after them. For those that are curious about these infamous grassheads, they are similar to chia pets and are easily fashioned out of nylon stockings filled with grass seeds and soil; then they are decorated with a face! Making grass heads seemed to be an all-ages activity - even the adults (including myself, of course!) couldn’t help but make one of their very own.
As I walked around and chatted with some of the vendors, it made me happy to see organizations and business promoting environmentally friendly options for everyday activities, for jewelry, for transportation, for food and others. This is another reason why this event is successful. It brings together people of different neighbourhoods and backgrounds, it’s a chance for people to have fun, but it’s also a chance for people to learn about the environment, about urban forests and to be more environmentally friendly.
As my short internship at LEAF comes to an end, I can say that my experience here was fantastic. I was able to meet great people, had the chance to experience working in an office environment and I also had the opportunity to see something through from the beginning until the end. As an undergraduate student preparing to launch myself into reality that is adulthood, internships make a world of difference for helping me figure out what it is I want to do in life - or in some cases, what not to do! At LEAF, I learned that a lot of work and time goes into creating a successful event, but also how important it is to have fun and enjoy the task at hand.
The Leslieville Tree Festival is presented by LEAF, Councillor Paula Fletcher, Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and Toronto Hydro.
Idil Alcinkaya is a Festival Assistant at LEAF. She is currently a student at the University of Toronto, majoring in Environmental Science and Global Health. She aspires to have a career in the environmental sector after her graduation. In her spare time, Idil enjoys travelling, drawing and good food!