Course:LFS350/Projects/2014W1/T14/Proposal

Version Control

The need to amend and change the project charter will inevitably be present. These changes should be well communicated between all project stakeholders and documented with a version control chart. An example version control chart follows.

Version	Author	Role	Changes	Date
3.0			Second Draft of Charter	November 1
2.0			Rough Second Draft of Charter	October 22
1.0			Initial version	September 24

Project Background (__ / 10)

Gordon Neighbourhood House Collective Kitchen Event

Healthy Eating

In the October 2014 issue of Time magazine, food writer Mark Bittman discusses the impacts of the shift from two generations ago, when preparing home cooked meals and spending time with our families at meals was an integral part of life. This is quite different from the grab, go and eat alone eating behaviours of today, which Bittman suggests is negatively impacting our health. Instead, he advocates for the preparation and consumption of food as a source of contentment, satisfaction, health and connection with other people (Bittman, 2014).

Health is a key determinant of productivity and prosperity; and the quality and quantity of food eaten greatly impacts an individuals overall wellbeing (Ostry, 2010). Today in Canada chronic food related diseases, cancer and cardiovascular disease, are the leading causes of death (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2010). While healthy eating may be the answer to this major issue, it is not a simple fix with a clear, concise single route solution. It can be acknowledged that there is no single definition of healthy eating but it is a rather complex and multifaceted subject that can be explored through cultural, geographical and intergenerational perspectives (Bisogni et al., 2012).

Cross-culturally, eating a balanced diet has been identified as a metric for healthy eating and the motivations associated with this practice include, the desire to live longer and healthier, to have more energy and to avoid food related diseases (Tiedje et al., 2014). While motivations for eating a healthy diet may be similar across demographics, it can be acknowledged that exactly how people eat in response to these motivations can be quite different (Bisogni et al., 2012).

Gordon Neighbourhood House

Gordon Neighbourhood House (GNH) is a community centre in Vancouver’s West End that collaborates and engages with individuals in the area to foster and enhance the growth of their community. “The mandate of Gordon Neighbourhood House is to support our community by providing relevant programs, fostering leadership, social inclusion and meaningful opportunities for inter-cultural learning, community dialogue and education” (Gordon Neighbourhood House, 2014).

GNH has developed a food policy that focuses on providing their community with healthy food through facilitating community development and cross-cultural interactions and discussions. They have developed food policy principles that govern the creation of many of their events and programs. These principles include:

An understanding that food brings us together and can act as vehicle for community-building.
A recognition that all members of our community have a Right to Food based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while also acknowledging that we as a community enjoy various levels of access to food.
A commitment to sharing fresh, non-expired, healthy, and locally-sourced food whenever possible.
A commitment to sharing food that is nutrient-dense, low in refined sugar and sodium, and not overly-processed.
A commitment to working toward increased access to food for those who are nutritionally vulnerable.
A commitment to providing opportunities for increased food literacy and community capacity-building for our neighbours.
A commitment to sharing foods that reflect the diversity of our community, city, country and world.
An awareness of the impact that our food choices have on the environment.
A commitment to the reduction of our organizational ecological footprint by minimizing packaging and ongoing composting.
Support for the development of urban farms and healthy food cooperatives (Gordon Neighbourhood House, 2014).

The Event

In partnership with GNH, students from the Land and Food Systems (LFS) program at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have planned The Healthy Homemade Potluck and Recipe Share event to bring individuals from the community food system together to share recipes that they perceive as being healthy. Keeping with GNH’s food principles the event will be an agent for community building, an opportunity for sharing nutrient dense foods and perhaps will have the potential for improving the food literacy of the participants.

People attending the event will bring dishes and a copy of the recipe to share with the organizers and other participants. This sharing of food between individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds materially symbolizes the bridging of the gap between the characteristic differences of participants (Julier, 2013). It is through the individual perspectives, represented by the dish brought to the potluck, that the different perceptions of what healthy eating means to individuals will be explored. By facilitating discussions about the food being shared, the LFS students will gain a better understanding of healthy eating perceptions. Through this process, participants will also gain perspectives on what others deem to be healthy and may be able to broaden the scope from which they view healthy food.

Project Goals

The event will fulfill the goals set out by GNH to plan, promote, implement and evaluate the Healthy and Homemade Potluck and Recipe Share event. Participants will prepare a healthy homemade recipe to share at the potluck and the entrance ticket will be a copy of the recipe they have prepared. The LFS students will be responsible for the following:

Gathering the recipes for their data collection and analysis
Promoting, organizing and facilitating all potluck activities
Encouraging participation in additional research activities happening at and after the event by offering prize for their participations

After the event, the students will also be accountable for distributing the collected recipes back to the community through an online medium such as Wiki, Facebook, Twitter or the GNH blog (UBC Wiki, 2014).

Project Limitations

While this one time event may bring people from the community together to share their dishes and knowledge about food, it can be acknowledged that it would be very difficult to measure whether or not food literacy was actually improved as a result of the event. The research conducted during and after the event will give a snapshot of the healthy eating perceptions of participants at the time of the event but it will not give much insight into the everyday behaviours and patterns of eating at home.
Another main limitations of this project is that we don't have specific tool in order to accurately assess the healthiness of recipes that individuals bring to the event. This can become even more challenging if the participants do not provide us with detailed recipes and ingredients they used in their dishes.
In order to avoid being invasive, we are not allowed to ask straightforward question from our participants to help us obtain greater insight into their perceptions of healthy eating. Thus, this might make it difficult for us to fully understand their perspectives on healthy eating.

Future Opportunities

The LFS students believe a membership to a series of healthy cooking workshops would be a better suited activity to truly reach out to participants and improve the food literacy and healthy food consumption habits of members over time.

Stakeholder Summary (__ /5)

Name, Role, & Organization	Responsibilities
University of British Columbia (UBC)	Governing body for the Faculty of Land and Food Systems Provide funding, resources, educational materials, and contacts for faculty and students
[Project Developers] Katelyn Ling (UBC) Jillian Vieira (UBC) Frances Verzosa (UBC)	Create, write, and edit project documents Lead and manage project team for all phases of project Facilitate collaboration among group Produce a final report (description of stages and personal reflections) with the other group members (listed below)
[Promotions Coordinators] Kalin Thomson (UBC) Shelby Jenkins (UBC)	Collaborate with promotion leaders in Team 15 to promote potluck event through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter Contact Andrew for promotional planning approval
[Wiki and Document Editors/Proofreaders] Sadaf Harandizadeh (UBC) Matt Cooke (UBC)	Regular online (Wiki) document management Final proofreading of Wiki page and all documents before uploading and submission
[Secretary & Group Liaison] Esther Huang (UBC)	Maintain professional relationship and regular email contact with Andrew Christie at GNH Send out meeting minutes and deadline reminders to all group members via email Maintain regular contact with other LFS groups doing projects with GNH (Teams 15 and 17) via email Provide status reports to Andrew throughout all phases of the project
[Community Partner/Main Contact & Community Food Advocate at GNH] Andrew Christie (GNH)	Provide guidance and necessary tools for LFS students Approve and finalize potluck details, plans, budget, and schedule Help students connect classroom learning with hands-on experience Provide connections and linkages with community Sign off Charter and Plan Sign off on changes to Charter or Plan
[Director of Operations] Linda Minamimaye (GNH)	Oversee all events and operations at GNH Approve potluck details and logistics Provide guidance if necessary to improve potluck planning and organization

Purpose and Research Question (__ / 20)

The purpose of our project is to bring individuals together from the community for a potluck to promote and share healthy food, and to build relationships within the community. Our project will explore the different perceptions people have of healthy eating based on the food brought to the potluck and the discourses that emerge. Bringing people together for a potluck focussed on the pluralistic, complex, and dynamic perceptions of healthy eating is important because it will allow everyone involved to see that healthy eating cannot be defined in a single way (Bisogni et al., 2012). This in turn allows individuals to look at their own perceptions and modify them with new knowledge and experiences increasing their food literacy. We will leverage the idea that everyone has preconceived ideas and beliefs around healthy eating and use this to assess themes, commonalities, and differences within these views.

Our main question: How do the participants at the "Urban InFARMation Fair" perceive healthy eating? What are the commonalities and differences of these perceptions? How might this affect local food literacy?

Methods (__ / 20)

Research Method: Qualitative Approach

The qualitative aspect of our research will bring greater scope to the study, using subjective open-ended interviewing, survey and a concept banner as tools to give insight into the complex perceptions of healthy eating. This is important because healthy eating is not something that can be reduced to a simple answer. At all times, we will consider and understand that everyone at the potluck comes from diverse backgrounds and cultures. All participants of our group will complete the Tri-Council Policy Statement tutorial and adhere to their guidelines for ethical research practices (TCPS 2: Core, N.D.).

Research Disclosure

Before the potluck commences all participants will be informed of our intentions to explore what we perceive as healthy eating.

They will also be informed that the data gathered at the potluck event will be used towards data analysis of our research project.

We will ensure that our research is done in a fashion that is not obtrusive to the participants at the potluck.

Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis: Survey

We will collect data by setting up a survey through survey monkey.

The survey will consist of the following questions and can be completed anonymously:

Gender? Age? Ethnicity? Occupation?
How likely are you to use the information from the Urban inFARMation event? and how?
What does "eating healthy" mean to you? Check any from the list that apply.

Organic foods
Eating fresh produce
Low sodium
Low sugar
Natural foods
Low fat
Low carbs
Well-balanced
Low calorie foods
3 meals a day
Consuming snacks between meals
Others:

4. What would you consider most when purchasing healthy food?

A link to the survey will be communicated to the participants via email should they wish to participate.

The survey can be completed by the participants remotely and will not take more than 5 minutes.

Participants who wish to participate in the survey, could win a door prize at the end of the event as well as a chance to win a gift basket after the survey has been completed (prizes to be determined – depending on the allotted budget of LFS 350 and GNH).

We will deliver the gift basket to GNH a week after the event and the winner of the gift basket can claim it from GNH once the winner has been chosen randomly. Again, the communication will done via email.

During conversations with the participants throughout the event we will ask them if would like to fill out a survey that will help us with our research study.

Should they agree to fill out the survey, we will direct them to the sign up station that we will set up prior to the event.

The sign up station will have markers and slips of paper with the following words printed:

Name _______ Email Address: __________________

The participant will then drop the slip of paper into a basket where a name will be drawn for door prizes. This name will be returned into the basket for another chance to win a gift basket (after filling out the survey).

Data analysis will be done by gathering the commonalities, themes and differences for questions 1, 2, 3, and 4 and data analysis will be done by tallying the frequency for questions 5 and 6.

Advantages to Conducting a Survey:

Questions that will be asked can be tailored in a way that will be beneficial to our research topic.

Anonymity can encourage the participant to disclose more information.

Providing incentives such as door prize and gift basket can encourage more participation.

Reduces the chances of not recording information that are provided by the participants.

Disadvantages to Conducting a Survey:

Entails time when filling out: even if the survey takes only 5 minutes, if participants are constrained for time, this can restrict them to answer the questions accurately or in a detailed manner.

Answering a survey would require participants to have a device (i.e. laptop, iPad, smart phone etc.) and internet access.

Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis: Open Ended Interview

We will collect information regarding the participant's view on healthy eating and the dish they brought.

We will try to keep the conversations relevant to our research question, which is “what the participants perceive as healthy eating”.

We intend to keep this information gathering in an informal fashion so no audio recording or note taking will be involved.

After the event, we plan to meet as a group to spend about half an hour to write down notes from the conversations and find commonalities, themes and differences from the data collected.

Data analysis will be done by gathering the commonalities, themes and differences that be used to answer our research question on what the participants perceive as healthy eating.

Advantages to Open Ended Interview:

We will be able to build a rapport with the participants through the genuine conversations that we will be initiating.

Since this method is done in an informal fashion, this could create a more relaxed atmosphere for the participants that will hopefully allow them to articulate their thoughts clearly.

Disadvantages to Open Ended Interview:

Information can be inaccurate if not recorded immediately.

Some participants may not be comfortable articulating their thoughts or may not be detailed in answering the questions.

Participants might be intimidated by the questions.

There is a possibility of redundancy if the participant is asked the same question by different researchers.

Biases of researchers can potentially influence the data analysis.

Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis: Concept Board

We will prepare a banner in one corner of the venue that reads: “What does healthy eating mean to you? What makes your dish healthy?”

We will set up a big blank sheet of paper where participants can scribble and use their creativity to answer the question provided in the banner.

Similar to our data analysis with the open-ended interview, we will gather commonalities, themes and differences from the data we gather to help us answer our research question on what the participants view as healthy eating.

Advantages to a Concept Board:

This would allow participants to use their creativity.

Answers may be limited in details.

Disadvantages to a Concept Board:

Participants might feel uncomfortable posting their answers to the rest of the group.

Participants might not voluntarily approach the board so we need to communicate this to them.

Deliverables (__ / 5)

Weekly status reports will be created through our google document and wiki page. These will be shared within our group and with Andrew.

The final report will include the event planning process, workshop design, promotion, implementation and evaluation as well as recommendations for any future workshops as identified by community participants and event planners. A recipe book of all the recipes brought to the event will be created on a social media platform and shared with all of the event participants.

Success Factors/Criteria (__ / 10)

At the end of this project, our first determinant of success is the number of participants who have brought in the recipes. After our collection and data analysis of the macronutrient content of the dishes, we will determine whether or not the event has promoted healthy eating. We will evaluate these dishes by working with the guidelines set by Canada’s Food Guide (Health Canada, 2011).

Another determinant of success is whether or not we have answered our research question (see above). This qualitative determinant will allow us to understand the current state of perception on healthy eating in the community.

The data collected at this event, will aid decision-makers at the Gordon Neighborhood House, notably Andrew Christie, to brainstorm and design future workshops, programs, and community outreach. This feedback will provide valuable information about the current state of healthy food perceptions amongst the participants of the event.

Scope Change

Scope changes requested by any stakeholder of the project must be agreed upon, approved and signed by all stakeholders. The agreed format is to revise this charter with version controls. Because this is critical to keep track of, the version control is displayed at the beginning of the charter.

Communication Plan (__ / 5)

Action Item	Deliverable	Dates	Accountable
Weekly Updates	Google document, wikipage and emails	Ongoing	The entire group will update the google document and the wikipage to keep Andrew up-to-date. Esther will be the liaison of the group and email Andrew and Group 15 for any inquiries. Within the group, she will be in charge of emailing fellow stakeholders of deadlines and updates. For immediate feedback, one designated stakeholder will phone said individual (GNH staff, Andrew, fellow stakeholder).
Group Meeting Attendance (in person where possible)	Meeting agenda	Ongoing	All stakeholders should be engaged and provide suitable input. All assigned tasks should be completed and presented to those present.
Information sharing as it becomes available	Project Specific Information	Ongoing	All stakeholders to provide information in a timely manner and to provide prior and reasonable notice of dates when they will be unavailable

Milestones (__ / 5)

Milestone	Event or Deliverable	Target Date	Responsibility
Milestone1	Proposal presentation and feedback from our community partner.	October 4th 2014	Proposal presentation
Milestone 2	Revised, completed, and approved Charter and Proposal.	November 1st 2014	Charter and Proposal
Milestone 3	Potluck Event Framework and Logistics	TBD	Completed Framework
Milestone 4	Potluck Event	TBD	Potluck Event
Milestone 5	Final Presentation	November 26th 2014	Final Presentation
Milestone 6	Final Report	December 3rd 2014	Final Report

Approvals (__ / 5)

The following individuals hereby approve this Project Charter:

Role or Title	Name and Signature	Date
Group Liaison and Secretary	Esther Huang
Community Partner	Andrew Christie
TA	Lucy Rodina

References (__ / 5)

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (2010). The Canadian consumer: Behaviour, attitudes and perceptions toward food products. Accessed August 8, 2014 at

http://www.ats-sea.agr.gc.ca/can/5505-eng.htm

Bisogni CA, Jastran M, Seligson M, Thompson A. (2012) How people interpret healthy eating: Contributions of qualitative research,

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 44(4): 282-301.

Bittman, B. (2014, October 20). How to Eat Now. Time, 184," 48-54.

Creswell, J.W. (2003). Research Design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches.

Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications. (pp. 3-23).

Gordon Neighbourhood House (2014). Food Philosophy. Retrieved from: http://gordonhouse.org

Health Canada. (2010). "Dietary Reference Intakes Tables." Retrieved from

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/reference/table/index-eng.php.

Julier, A.P. (2013). "Eating Together: Food, Friendship, and Inequality." University of Illinois Press. (pp.157-158).

Ostry, A. (2010). Food for Thought: The Issues and Challenges of Food Security. Public Health Association of British Columbia.

Retrieved from http://www.phsa.ca/HealthProfessionals/Population-Public-Health/Food- Security/default.htm

Ristovski-Slijepcevic S, Chapman GE, Beagan BL. (2008) Engaging with healthy eating discourse(s): Ways of knowing about

food and health in three ethnocultural groups in Canada, Appetite 50(1): 167-178.

TCPS 2 Core. (N.D.). "Panel on Research Ethics." Retrieved from http://tcps2core.ca.

Tiedje, K., Wieland, M. L., Meiers, S. J., Mohamed, A. A., Formea, C. M., Ridgeway, J. L., . . . Sia, I. G. (2014; 2013).

A focus group study of healthy eating knowledge, practices, and barriers among adult and adolescent immigrants and refugees in the united states.

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11(1), 63-63. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-11-63

UBC Wiki (2014). Course:LFS350/Projects/2014W1/T14. Retrieved from: http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:LFS350/Projects/2014W1/T14

Writing Quality (__ / 10)

For a proposal report to receive full writing quality marks, it should be well organized and easy to read. It should address all of the topics articulated in the assignment details above, and it should be free of grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes.