Night market builds a sense of community
Wilfred Laurier students organize event as part of social entrepreneurship program
WATERLOO — On Sunday evening, an ambitious group of Wilfrid Laurier students will transform a parking lot in Waterloo Park into a bustling night market with food trucks, dozens of local vendors, sparkling lights and more.
It will be a big night for the students, who have meticulously planned the market over the course of several classes in the university’s social entrepreneurship program.
“They’ve done the floor plans, they’ve organized the logistics, they’ve contacted and secured vendors, they’re working in the budget, they’re fundraising … they put a vetting process in place (for vendors) — they’ve really carried this whole thing,” said John Abraham, a Laurier professor whose class is launching the market.
The holiday-themed market will have live music, a patio, heaters, local crafters, yummy eats and even puppies to gush over.
But there’s a larger goal for the market. The aim is to connect students with the broader Waterloo community, particularly in the Northdale and MacGregorAlbert neighbourhoods near campus, where there are a lot of students living and a few hundred permanent Waterloo residents.
“I lived in the neighbourhood for four years and only one year I lived near a permanent resident,” said Jamal Khamis, an economics student and the intern co-ordinator of the night market project.
“We had a great relationship and if I didn’t have that connection, I would have never thought those community ties, those community relationships, those relationships between the young and the older, are important.
“You learn a lot and you kind of create a sense of home in the neighbourhood.”
Other market goals include an emphasis on local vendors as well as organizing an event that has a minimal impact on the environment. For example, the students are ensuring waste is biodegradable or recyclable, said Khamis.
“We want it to be more than just a market,” said Khamis. “We want it to be a triple bottom line market: people, planet and then profit.”
To pay for the venture, the group is relying on fees from vendors and its own fundraising efforts. They have launched a crowdfunding campaign, with a goal of raising $2,500 through the university’s HAWKstarter.
If the market is a success, the plan is to organize more night markets in the neighbourhoods surrounding the university.
The Waterloo Night Market is on Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. in the parking lot near the splash pad in Waterloo Park — off Young Street near the Park Inn. There is no cost to attend, but the students welcome donations.