The Think&EatGreen@School Project is a Community-University Research Alliance promoting change in what public school students eat, learn and do at school in relation to food, health and the environment. The project aims to engage students with the sources of their food through growing, preparing and sharing food and managing food waste at school.
Think&EatGreen@School aims to foster food citizenship by providing the entire community of learners—from students to professors, teachers to chefs, farmers, gardeners, restaurateurs, and nutrition and health professionals— with opportunities to participate in the development of healthy and sustainable school food systems.
Your school can participate by becoming a “Think&EatGreen School” (if you are not one yet) and receive a grant of up to $2,000 and other support to initiate or expand food initiatives at your school. This grant is available to new applicant schools and 2011-2012 Think&EatGreen Schools.
Benefits of Participation
• Eligibility to receive up to $2000 for food system projects
• Participation in a community of learners with the objective of creating a healthy and sustainable food system within the Vancouver School Board
• Participation in professional development opportunities including the Think&EatGreen@School Summer Institute
• Access to expertise from UBC and local community groups
• Support of UBC students to implement your projects
Criteria for becoming a Think&EatGreen School
Priority will be given to schools that can demonstrate (as many as possible of) the following:
• Involve a working team of 3 or more committed members, composed of teachers and staff committed to strengthening the connections within the food system at their school (teachers, administration, support staff, food service staff, maintenance staff, students and parents may be included)
• Demonstrate a commitment to initiatives that make connections between different aspects of the school food system (i.e. growing, preparing and sharing food and managing food waste) at school and student learning and activities
• Involve partnerships (with community-based organizations and/or other schools)
• Willingness to involve UBC students and facilitate their involvement in the development of food system activities and projects at your school
• Willingness to participate in research aimed at developing a healthy and sustainable school food system
• Commitment to participate in the project for 2 years
• Willingness to complete a brief summary report, to share photos of activities and to participate in a final celebration in May or June 2013
It is understood that no one school may meet all of the criteria described above; however, applications that demonstrate that they are able to satisfy as many of the criteria as possible will be given priority. Applications with larger teams and projects that emphasize integration within the food system will be eligible for larger grants (up to $2000). Applications that are smaller in scope will be eligible for smaller grants.
Eligibility for Think&EatGreen@School Small Grants (up to $2000)
Think&EatGreen@School has set aside $20000 from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC) for supporting small projects in Vancouver schools in the 2012-2013 school year. If you are eligible, these small grants are available to help you start-up, expand, or improve school projects in the areas of food production, food waste management, food preparation, and teaching and learning activities.
Some possible projects could include:
• Food production initiatives including food gardens and orchards
• Developing composting and other food waste management projects
• Initiating cooking and other culinary / food preparation activities involving students
• Implementing teaching and learning activities that connect food, health, and the environment across the curriculum
• Projects that establish links between growing, preparing and eating food at school with new curriculum and ways of teaching and learning
• Projects that use digital media to tell the stories of students engaging with the sources of their food through growing, preparing and sharing food and managing food waste at school
• Programs that provide healthy and sustainable foods for students
• Projects that establish links between schools and farms for healthier school meal programs and cafeteria menus and learning opportunities, including Farm to School
• Creating opportunities for release time for teachers and staff to collaborate, develop and implement proposed activities
• Celebrations around food (e.g. a food day or food week at school)
• Artistic projects related to food systems issues (including videos, multi-media, painting, music, theaters)
To apply:
Please ensure the following application form is complete and then email it to: info@thinkeatgreen.ca.
All applications must be received no later than Monday, October 29th, 2012 at noon. Schools will be notified about their application by November 12.
Further questions or inquiries can be directed to info@thinkeatgreen.ca.
Think&EatGreen@School 