April 19, 2018 – DOCTalks Festival & Symposium Inc. has selected NB Community Harvest Gardens Inc. in partnership with the Neighbours Alliance of North York as its partner for the 2018 Open Your Eyes Fredericton campaign.

Open Your Eyes Fredericton is an exciting initiative and funding opportunity for charities and nonprofit organizations (affiliated with a local charity) in the Fredericton area that would like to raise community awareness around a social issue.

Edee Klee, NB Community Harvest Gardens Co-Chair is excited about this opportunity. “We are embarking on a new, innovative season-long farmer training program at a heritage farm in the heart of Fredericton’s north side.  With the assistance of DOCTalks, we will open people’s eyes to the benefits of small-scale, regenerative farming, including empowerment, poverty reduction, better health, and alternative employment or revenue options.  We want to get people excited about good food and motivate them to take an active role in food security.”

Over the next several months DOCTalks will be working with the NB Community Harvest Gardens team to help to provide access to the tools and resources needed to share their story with the people of Fredericton. This will include a cash prize of $2,000 and in-kind promotional support valued at roughly $23,000, that includes the production of a short film and the development of an online cross-sector promotional campaign to share their story with others.

Tim Fox, President of DOCTalks, sees the tremendous benefits of the project. “Our role is to provide organizations doing good in our community with a voice so that they can make real change in our world.  NB Community Harvest Gardens has a great story to tell and it’s a story that film and digital media can put right in front of people”

Open Your Eyes Fredericton is a cross-sector partnership between organizations in the Greater Fredericton area led by DOCTalks Festival & Symposium in association with the Fredericton Community Foundation, along with the UNB Centre for Enhanced Teaching & Learning, Da Vinci College, New Brunswick Social Policy Research Network, United Way Central New Brunswick, City of Fredericton, Greater Fredericton Social Innovation, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, and the Documentary Organization of Canada’s Atlantic Chapter. For more information please visit the project website: https://www.doctalks.ca/open-your-eyes/