6. Kiwassa Neighbourhood House: Community Consultation Regarding Interest and Needs Related to Affordable Market

Project Description

Note: This project will take place in person

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

Kiwassa Neighbourhood House has been operating a weekly produce market since fall 2020. The low cost produce market offers fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable prices for the whole community. Kiwassa subsidizes market expenses (staff, materials, etc.) through grants and fundraising. We are able to offer accessible, affordable produce through the assistance of these funders, our generous suppliers, our hard-working volunteers, and by keeping our overhead low. Our market is part of Community Food Centres Canada 'Market Greens Rx' program. Market Greens is an additional subsidy program that helps people with diet-related health challenges access fresh fruits and vegetables.

At our markets we share recipes, tips, and other info towards strengthening the health and food security of the neighbourhood. We also host cooking workshops, community kitchens, and skill building sessions.

We'd like to poll neighbourhood residents who access the market to ensure we are being responsive to and reflective of neighbourhood interests and needs related to the market. This may help us also reach out to those who don't currently access the market but could benefit from it. We'd like to summarize findings in an infographic that tells the story of why/how the market has value for the community. This infographic can be used for grant applications to help sustain the market after current CFCC funding wraps up.

Main Project Activities and Deliverables

• With staff, design feedback collection strategy - what polling method(s) will work best in the community? e.g. online survey, booth at the market, etc.
• With staff, design feedback collection tools (e.g. surveys, interview questions) to elicit participation from market participants
• Interview participants (target number to be determined with community partner)
• Media creation such as infographics, posters to promote the feedback strategy
• Summary of findings (infographic)

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Good communication skills.
• Comfortable talking to strangers
• Ability for some to speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, and/or Farsi (asset)
• Understanding of the obstacles that can prevent various demographics of people from accessing or participating in public spaces.
• Data collection (design and implementation)
• Design skills and marketing.

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

• Wednesdays between 2-4pm (time of the the market). It's important that students be able to attend a couple of these.
• October 26, 2-5 pm will be our last "Community Market" which takes place at Pandora Park and involves other vendors and organizations.

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

• Yes

If a criminal record search is required, when should the process be initiated?  

• Before the first community partner meeting (seek guidance from your TA if needed)

How much self-direction is expected from the students?

• Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Mostly led by community partner, with some student input
• Developing the activity plan and timeline: Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
• Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups): Equal leadership between students and community partner
• Finalizing the deliverable(s): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
  

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

• Wednesday, September 28 - Community Market @ Pandora Park market runs from 2-5, variable opportunities to help in 2 to 3 hour shifts from 11am-6pm. This market will be a bigger one than our normal weekly markets at Kiwassa and is taking place during Hastings Sunrise Neighbourhood Food Week which should provide lots of opportunities to learn more about the neighbourhood, food security/sovereignty, and community markets.

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review the following materials prior to the first partner meeting. Additional orientation materials may be provided at the first partner meeting.

• Our Brochure
• FAQ re: Market Greens
• Manual on starting affordable produce markets (is a useful resource in terms of understanding the concept behind low-cost markets and how they differ from other food support programs). Name and contact details are required to download but you can opt out of being contacted
• Hastings-Sunrise Social Indicators Profile (2020). City of Vancouver
• McKnight, J.. Asset-Based Community Development: The Essentials.

Additional Materials

• Kim, S. & van Enckevort, J. (2021). Community-Centered Food Support and Care for All: Transforming Dignified Food Access in Vancouver. A Convening Grant report from Kiwassa Neighbourhood House. Vancouver: British Columbia.
• Resilient Neighbourhoods Toolkit. City of Vancouver
• Activating Inclusion Toolkit. UBC Equity and Inclusion Office
• Checklist for Accessible and Inclusive Event Planning and Respectful Dialogues Guide. UBC Equity and Inclusion Office

Click here to learn about the global settlement and neighbourhood house movement. For information on neighbourhood houses in our region, visit the Association of Neighbourhood Houses (ANH) website. Note that some local neighbourhood houses are independent (not overseen by ANH), including Kiwassa. Independent houses are not listed on the ANH website.