LFS350/Projects/2021-Term2/FarmtoSchoolVancouver

Project Title

Indigenous Foodscapes in Vancouver Schools Follow Up

Organization Name

Farm to School BC Vancouver Area Hub - Program of PHABC

Related Course Concepts

Asset-based community development, Colonialism, Indigenous food sovereignty, food literacy

Organization Information

Organization Name

Farm to School BC Vancouver Area Hub - Program of PHABC

Mission and Vision of Organization

Farm to School Vancouver Area Regional Hub F2SBC Vision: Healthy, local and sustainable food on the plates and minds of all students in BC F2SBC Mission: Working with communities and partners, Farm to School BC seeks to empower and support schools in building comprehensive Farm to School programs that support vibrant, sustainable, regional food systems, develop student food literacy and enhance school and community connectedness. F2SBC Goals: Support the development of sustainable regional food systems in BC by bringing more healthy, local, and sustainable food into BC schools Promote healthy eating in schools by supporting the further development of healthy school food environments and fruit vegetable consumption Advance experiential, hands-on learning opportunities related to food systems and the development of student food literacy Enhance school and community connectedness Develop promising Farm to School practice models that are sustainable, self-financing, eco-friendly and have the potential to be implemented elsewhere. Farm to School BC (F2SBC) is administered by the Public Health Association of BC

Guiding Principles + Values

Farm to School empowers students and school communities to make informed food choices while contributing to vibrant, sustainable regional food systems that support the health of people, place and planet. Farm to school programs differ by school, but always include one or more of the following: 1. Healthy, Local Food: Schools source local food in a variety of ways, including through direct farmer relationships, food distributors, schoolyard farms, or the harvesting of wild or traditional foods. When local food arrives in schools it is often served in the form of a salad bar, hot lunch program, tasting activity, fundraiser, or community celebration. 2. Hands-on Learning: Food literacy is a critically important component of Farm to School programs. Step into any school offering a Farm to School program and you will find students learning about food in the school garden, greenhouse, kitchen, lunchroom or classroom. They may also be getting ready for field trips to local farms, forests and shores. 3. School & Community Connectedness: The most successful and sustainable Farm to School programs are built upon strong relationships. Schools establish relationships with farmers, community members, and support organizations, tapping into local knowledge passion, skills and resources. 4. Sustainable Regional Food Systems: The Farm to School BC Network and movement is dedicated to supporting the development of sustainable regional food systems in British Columbia. Please refer to the short paper recently published by the BC Food Systems Network on Regional Food Economies to get a sense of what a regional food system entails. (http://bcfsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RegionalFoodEconomies_jan16.pdf)

Contact Information

• Primary Contact Person(s): Meryn Corkery (She/Her)
• Email: [[1]]
• Phone: 780-953-8126  
• Address:  Public Health Association of BC 550-2950 Douglas Street Victoria, BC V8T4N4
• Website:   https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/

Preferred Method of Contact

• Best method(s) to contact: Email, Phone
• Best day(s) to contact:Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
• Best time(s) to contact: Other

Preferred Platform(s) for Remote Collaboration

• No

Context: What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

The Farm to School Vancouver Area (F2SVA) hub is seeking a team of students to contribute to the evaluation of an “Indigenous Foodscapes” project that was conducted at nine schools across the City of Vancouver on unceded territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Funded by the Ministry of Health and City of Vancouver, the Indigenous Foodscapes project aims to bring native plants and traditional food knowledge into the minds, hearts and bellies of children and youth. Nine schools in the City of Vancouver were previously funded from 2017-2019 to develop or expand a native plant garden on school grounds, and to integrate that foodscape* (as well as Indigenous ways of knowing, teaching and learning) into the curriculum and school community. Due to the pandemic and organizational transitions, there has been limited capacity to follow up with these schools to see if they were able to upkeep their foodscapes. This project will require LFS350 students to reach out to teachers and administrators at the 9 Vancouver K-12 schools and administer a short survey or interview to identify current needs and strengths of each school's existing Indigenous foodscapes. The findings from data collection will influence the next phase of the project as we seek to support teachers and administrators in Indigenizing school food pedagogy across the School District 39. *A foodscape is a physical space for growing food, as well as a cultural and social space for sharing, preparing, eating and learning about food. This may include native food gardens and forests, plants with cultural and medicinal uses, gathering spaces, outdoor classrooms, and other features. School teams may choose to build gardens, harvest, prepare and eat traditional foods, connect with elders and knowledge keepers, visit nearby traditional foodscapes, and more. Vancouver physical Indigenous foodscapes must follow the Vancouver School Board (VSB) garden guide, available here : https://www.vsb.bc.ca/District/Sustainability/garden/Documents/sbfile/200513/May2020_Garden%20Guide_FINAL.pdf

Main Project Activities

• Interviews or surveys with each of the 9 school teams (not expected to interview members from all 9 schools) -
• Literature review to understand Indigenous Foodscapes and project context -
• Analysis of survey and interview data -
• Selecting representative or exemplar quotes
• Other optional activities are included based on project team’s interest and capacity: -Ie ESRI story map/case study of Indigenous Foodscape at one of the schools using existing images -Involvement in planning or participating in Indigenous Foodscapes Professional Development Day in April (likely virtual professional development day)

Expected Project Deliverable(s)

1. Survey or interview guide based upon conversation with Farm to School BC and Indigenous Foodscapes Working Group members

2. 1 summary of findings from interviews and surveys to identify needs and strengths of each schools current Indigenous Foodscapes project (ie one page executive summary or chart summarizing all schools)

3. Collection of quotes from survey or interviews to strengthen future grant applications and reports

Intended Project Outcome

1. Greater understanding of current needs and challenges of Vancouver school communities to integrate native plant and Indigenous pedagogies in school curriculum. 2. Increased understanding of current infrastructure needs from Indigenous foodscapes schools.

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

• - Ability to communicate and interface with different community members - Understanding of current challenges and strengths around school food programming and teaching Indigenous food systems in the K-12 system - increased organizational and communications skills to work within an interdisciplinary team

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• No anticipated mandatory dates

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

No

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

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

• Indigenous Foodscapes Project Summary VSB: https://www.vsb.bc.ca/Student_Learning/Indigenous_Education/Indigenous_Events/Pages/Indigenous-Foodscapes.aspx#:~:text=Indigenous%20Foodscapes%20is%20an%20Indigenous,bellies%20of%20children%20and%20youth
• Indigenous Foodscapes Video :
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qngbX8UsR7c&feature=emb_title
• Farm to School BC Website:
• https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/

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

• N/A

Expected Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

I hope students will learn about...

• the current challenges and strengths around school food programming and teaching Indigenous food systems in the K-12 system

I think students will come to appreciate...

• the importance of amplifying and supporting Indigenous food systems education at all levels.

Through this project, students will develop...

• ability to analyze data and synthesize into recommendations; ability to communicate with different community members

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

• Helping Farm to School BC better understand what types of ongoing institutional support is needed for school food programming, specifically for native plant projects and other Indigenous food projects.

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