Course:LFS350/Projects/F2019/PHABC2

Project Title

Building inclusive neighbourhoods: A Case Study of Urban Municipalities Community Gardens

Organization Name

Public Health Association of BC

Keywords

Anti-racism, racism, difference, diversity, inclusion, community garden, urban agriculture, food movement

Related Course Concepts

Food justice, Food security, Asset based community development, Social class/income inequality, Gender and/or sexual orientation, Cultural identities, Racism, Colonialism

Organization Information

Organization Name

Public Health Association of BC

Mission and Vision of Organization

Vision

A fair and healthy British Columbia for all.

Mission

PHABC promotes health, wellbeing and equity for all British Columbians through leadership in public health.

Guiding Principles + Values

Approach

As a member-driven organization, we fulfill our mission through advocacy, collaboration and engagement activities, education, and research throughout the spectrum of public health practice and systems including prevention, promotion, protection and policy.

Identified priorities

Eliminating poverty; reducing health/socioeconomic inequities; addressing climate change and healthy environments; contributing to a sustainable, equitable economy; and preventing violence.

Contact Information

• Primary Contact Person(s): Aaren Topley
• Email: sr.consultant@phabc.org
• Phone: 250-885-7752
• Address: Victoria BC
• Website: phabc.org

Preferred Method of Contact

• Best method(s) to contact: Email, Phone
• Best day(s) to contact: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, I will be in town roughly one week per month for an in-person meeting. I will also be available by email or phone during the week.
• Best time(s) to contact: Mornings, Afternoons

Project Description

Can You Dig It (CYDI) is a community garden initiative that was launched in 2009 to create opportunities for individuals and community groups to become included in the social fabric of their neighbourhoods. CYDI has created and supported 39 community gardens on public and private lands throughout the Lower Mainland, engaging over 40 partner organizations and 1,700 gardeners. The aim of this project is to explore community garden policies and practices in other municipalities (outside of BC) that work with communities for diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. Specifically, community gardens that have had to work through racism and classism but have now been able to create a more inclusive space within the community garden.

What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

This project aims to address how to shift community garden spaces that experience racism, classism and other forms of oppression into spaces that are inclusive and welcoming.

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Well organized, independent and attentive to detail
• Ability to collect, analyze and process large data
• Strong social justice lens with an understanding of anti-oppression frameworks, including structural racism
• Understanding of community garden or community building dynamics
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness and comfort level reflecting on your own social location and relationship(s) to power and privilege

Student Assets and Skills (to be developed through the project)

• Understanding of how municipalities work through socioeconomic complexity through communities gardens
• Ability to collect, analyze and process large data
• Strong social justice lens with an understanding of anti-oppression frameworks, including structural racism
• Understanding of community garden or community building dynamics
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness and comfort level reflecting on your own social location and relationship(s) to power and privilege

Is a criminal record check required?

No

Project Location

Online search

Preferred Days of Week and Hours

Self-directed/flexible

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review these materials prior to the first partner meeting:

• Siegner, A., Sowerwine, J. & Acey, C. (2018). Does urban agriculture improve food security? Examining the nexus of food access and distribution of urban produced foods in the United States: A systematic review. Sustainability, 10(9). DOI: 10.3390/su10092988
• Guthman, J. (2011). "If they only knew": The unbearable whiteness of alternative food. In Alkon, A.H. & Agyeman, J. (Eds.), Cultivating food justice: Race, class, and sustainability, pp. 263-281. Boston: The MIT Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/23088

Additional Project/Partner Orientation Materials

The following will be provided at the first community partner meeting:

• TBD

Expected Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

I hope students will learn about...

• How other municipalities are incorporating anti-oppression practices into their municipality

I think students will come to appreciate...

• How relevant this is to what is going on globally

Through this project, students will develop...

• Strong analysis skills

Organizational Outcomes

Intended Project (Short Term) Outcome

• We want to understand what community garden policies and practices municipalities in Canada and States are using in low-income and diverse neighbourhoods to create stronger community growing spaces. We want to understand how other cities have facilitated and created dialogues that centres marginalized voices in order to create more inclusive spaces in community gardens.

Medium Term Outcomes

If the student project is part of a larger project at your organization, how will the students' work contribute to the goals of this larger project?

• Still being discussed with the specific City this projects is connected to. We will discuss the larger importance one the City has approved our methodology for the project.

How does the student project contribute to your organization's mission and long-term vision?

• Allowing us the understand how to build more inclusive community growing spaces.