Engagement of U. Hill Secondary students at the UBC Farm

A way to improve the sustainability of the UBC community food system is to strengthen UBC’s relationship with its community partners. The main goal of this project is to initiate a relationship between University Hill Secondary School and UBC Farm. Based on interviews with various stakeholders and literature research on the existing foods education programs in North America, our team is confident that a relationship will be beneficial to both parties. Concern has been raised over children and youths’ lack of knowledge on food systems and healthy eating. Furthermore, there is currently an increasing disconnect between youth and their outdoor environment and surrounding community. Once University Hill Secondary School moves to its new location in 2012 it will conveniently be within walking distance to the UBC Farm. The UBC Farm can act as an outdoor classroom for the students to provide secondary school students with food systems education and a connection with their environment and community. U.Hill is encouraged to incorporate the food grown at the Farm into its Food and Nutrition classes, and also students are welcome to sign up for volunteering positions at the Farm. Lesson plans are designed according to the Vancouver School Board Food and Nutrition class curriculum. The “Introduction to Food System” lesson plan serves as a preparatory lecture for the Spring Planting lesson, which will take place at the Farm. Suggestions for how other subjects can link curriculum to the Farm are provided. This project has initiated a link between U.Hill and UBC Farm and stakeholders are encouraged to use the information provided and to implement the recommendations it in ways that are most adequate to their programs. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat