Project Title
Support for The Fall Mushroom Festival!
Organization Name
Organization Information
Organization Name
Mission and Vision of Organization
The VMS is a group of individuals who share a common interest in mushrooms and fungi. We are a non-profit, volunteer-run society that has been running since 1978. We host talks, excursions, and shows in addition to tabling at many events around the city. We collaborate with UBC'S Beaty Biodiversity Museum to preserve and sequence specimens and data relating to fungi.
Guiding Principles + Values
We believe in mycological research and access to resources through food, shared knowledge, citizen science, and documentation of fungi. As a natural society, we look to acknowledge the barriers that exist in the environmental sector and strive to provide a space for folks of all backgrounds and skill levels to explore their mycology-related interests.
Contact Information
- Primary Contact Person(s): Aril Yeo (they/them), President
- Email: president@vanmyco.com
- Phone: Please ask Aril for their phone number if needed
- Address: N/A
- Website: vanmyco.org
- Alternate Contact Person: Tom Balog (he/him), Treasurer
- Email/Phone: treasurer@vanmyco.com
Preferred Method of Contact
- Best method(s) to contact: Email, Phone
- Best day(s) to contact: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays
- Best time(s) to contact by phone: Afternoon (12 noon-5pm), Afternoon (12 noon-5pm)
Preferred Platform(s) for Collaboration and Student Meetings
- Phone
- Zoom
Project Description
Note: This project will take place online and in person
Context/Background
The Vancouver Mycological Society is planning our annual Fall show and we are looking for support with event-related social media, and/or who have an interest in a self-directed demonstration table at our education booth. Our show will take place at VanDusen Botanical Gardens on Oct. 22nd and we will have talks, displays, and many vendors. As part of this role, we are looking for students willing to take on our social media (Instagram, Facebook) and produce fun captions and graphics/show updates.
The project you will present at our show can relate to medicine, food security, ecological relationships, cultivation, or another fungal topic upon approval! For our show, we would love to include some kind of interactive workshop that students can facilitate during show day (6 hours). We may ask you to provide us with a blurb and a photo if willing for our newsletter, the Mycofile. We are very flexible with timing and you will have guaranteed fun!
Food Systems Issue(s) Addressed in this Project
- Increasing public awareness and interest in mushrooms, fungi, and the Fall Mushroom Festival
- Developing fun and engaging ways to educate festival attendees on topics related to mushrooms and fungi
- Potential workshop topics include:
- Repurposing scraps into food
- Addressing cultural and other barriers to outdoor recreation and harvest
- Diverse cultural food and medicine practices related to fungi and mushrooms
- Ecologically responsible and culturally respectful approaches to mushroom harvesting
- Working with the community to equip folks with resources to grow mushrooms and other foods
- Providing dignified access to medicine and self-sufficiency.
- Working to understand the cultural and traditional significance of outdoor recreation and harvest.
Main Project Activities
- Develop a workshop for the fall festival
- Create a budget and workshop materials list (if applicable)
- Facilitate a workshop/present research at the festival
- Design social posts and captions
- Write a short takeaway for our newsletter
Main Project Deliverable(s)
- October 22nd: 1 full day presentation/facilitation (this can be split into blocks)
- 4 social media posts: 1 reel 4 story updates
- 1 blurb for newsletter by Oct 30 (1 per student)
Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)
Assets:
- Public speaking skills
- Social media content writing
- Graphic design
- Access to vehicle and driver's license
- Interest in mycology
Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?
- October 22nd, 9-6 set up and take down
Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?
- No
How much self-direction is expected from the students?
- Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Mostly led by students, with some community partner 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): Led by students
- Finalizing the deliverable(s): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
Related Volunteering/Community Service Opportunities for Students
- Social media opportunities help with outings organization of spring show
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.
- vanmyco.org
- IG: vanmyco
- Vancouver Mycological Society Facebook
- CBC profiles The Vancouver Mycological Society (video)
Additional Materials
- Menzies, C.R. (2006). Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Natural Resource Management (especially Chapter 4, "Ecological knowledge, subsistence, and livelihood practices: The case of the pine mushroom harvest in Northwestern British Columbia "). Available at UBC Library
- Indigenous Food Sovereignty resource list (Western U.P. Food Systems Collaborative)
- Kimmerer, R.W. (2015). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Available at UBC Library
- Kennedy, M. (2013). The Foraged Countryside: Perceptions of Nature and Culture in Four Encounters with Fungi
- Tsing, A. (2012). Unruly Edges: Mushrooms as Companion Species: For Donna Haraway. https://doi.org/10.1215/22011919-3610012
- Tsing, A. (2015). The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins. Available at UBC Library
Expected Outcomes
Intended Short-term Project Outcome
- Fall Festival attendees engage in conversation about the importance of fungi, and have a greater understanding and spread awareness on their wide uses and importance in food systems
Learning Outcomes
Through this project, I think students will learn about...
- Non-vascular plants
- Mushroom cultivation
- Event organization
- Creating public education activities
By working on this project, I think students will develop skills and/or awareness of...
- Scientific communication
- Alternative ecological careers
- Mushroom identification
By the end of the project, I believe students will come to appreciate...
- The many reasons people are fascinated by mushrooms
- Fungi!