Overview
Indigenous Plant Gardens in North Vancouver Schools
Organization Name
Farm to School BC Vancouver Region (program of Public Health Association of BC)
Keywords
Related Course Concepts
Asset based community development, Indigenous food sovereignty, food literacy, local food systems
Organization Information
Organization Name
Farm to School BC Vancouver Region (program of Public Health Association of BC)
Mission and Vision of Organization
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 is a program of the Public Health Association of BC and is supported by the Province of British Columbia and the Provincial Health Services Authority.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Contact Information
- Primary Contact Person(s): Meryn Corkery
- Email: [[1]]
- Phone: 17809538126
- Address: #550-2950 Douglas St., Victoria, BC V8T 4N4
- Website: https://farmtoschoolbc.ca
Preferred Method of Contact
- Best method(s) to contact: Email, Phone
- Best day(s) to contact: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, available between 8-4 am typically
- Best time(s) to contact: Mornings, Afternoons
Preferred Platform(s) for Remote Collaboration
- Email, Phone, Zoom, in person if needed
Project Description
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 develop of a program supporting Indigenous Plant Gardens at schools unceded territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations in so-called North Vancouver. Building off of a similar project in Vancouver (the Indigenous Foodscapes project) with the Vancouver School Board, this project aims to bring native plants and traditional food knowledge into the minds, hearts and bellies of children and youth.
Six schools in the North Vancouver School District will be funded to develop or expand a native plant garden on school grounds, and to integrate that space (as well as Indigenous ways of knowing, teaching and learning) into the curriculum and school community. Despite the curriculum change in 2017 to prioritize the First Peoples Principles of Learning, many teachers need additional support to help teach Indigenous ways of knowing and being. This project aims to meet this need by creating living libraries of native plants on school grounds and providing teachers with authentic resources.
LFS350 students will be involved in the beginning stages of this project. Depending on Covid restrictions, students will be able to come to schools in North Vancouver for site visits with the Native Plants Educator to help document the initial tour at some of the schools. LFS students will record the tour through images, maps, videos and text, and compile these recordings into a multimedia report. Students will also collect and record data regarding the status and needs of current and future native plant gardens at these schools. This will support the development of a matrix that will inform future funding allocation from Farm to School.
If pandemic restrictions/school district policies do not allow students to participate in person alternative activities will be identified (such as researching and identifying potential stakeholders to be involved in the project, planning a kick-off workshop, and creating social media pieces related to the project).
Main Project Activities and Deliverables
- Literature review of existing teacher resources for Land-based learning / Native Plants education materials for K-12 teachers
- If in-person allowed: site visit of some of the schools in North Vancouver, develop high quality documentation of the tour that can be shared with funders, schools, and the public (to capture information such as: current native food assets on school grounds, as well as infrastructure gaps and required materials, etc.)
- If in-person not allowed: creation of potential partnerships list, planning of initial kick off workshop, creation of social media/posters about the project
Will the project work for the students be online, in person, or a combination?
- Combination, pending school district policies
Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)
- Attention to detail,
- Some interest or experience in video or photography would be great
- Strong communication skills
Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?
- Not at this point, in person workshop in October/November may be required
Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?
- No
Preferred Days of Week and Hours
- Flexible
Related Community Service Opportunities for Students
- potential volunteer opportunity at community or school gardens in North Vancouver.
Required Reading
Project/Partner Orientation Materials
Students should review these materials prior to the first partner meeting:
- https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qngbX8UsR7c
- https://www.vsb.bc.ca/Student_Learning/Indigenous_Education/Indigenous_Events/Pages/Indigenous-Foodscapes.aspx
Additional Project/Partner Orientation Materials
- TBD
Expected Outcomes
Intended Project Outcome
- Support North Vancouver school district educators to create their own native plant gardens to honor Indigenous ways of knowing and being.