Literacy | Good Food Network

day 1| dec 3rd| 1:30pm

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Relearning: Food Literacy as the Roots for Change

Thursday, December 3 | 1:30PM

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many more people have tried their hand at growing food, baking and cooking. People are also more aware of where their food comes from and that shortages of food can happen within their own communities. How does increased food literacy, which is having the knowledge and skills necessary to choose, grow and prepare healthy and sustainable foods, spur positive change to realize a more sustainable and just food system? This session will explore food literacy in our community, highlighting innovative programs and initiatives. A panel of food literacy educators and advocates will join us to lead break-out group discussions to explore specific topics in more depth. Guaranteed to provide much food for thought!

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Moderator | Janelle Hatch, Registered Dietitian and Food Literacy Coordinator

Janelle Hatch has been working as a dietitian in the community for more than ten years, bringing attention and focus to the area of food security, food systems, and healthy eating. She has worked as a dietician in public health, and now works specifically with the Healthy Schools program for Island Health. She brings passion for food literacy and healthy eating and this enthusiasm is reflected in her home and volunteer work also. She is a busy mother of two children and as a family they work together to grow a vegetable garden and fruit growing trees to maximize their urban garden area and the pleasure derived from eating whole, fresh food. Janelle has been supporting the work of CRFAIR for over a decade and joined the Board in 2015.

Moderator | Marcus Lobb, Community Animator at Farm to School BC

Marcus has been involved in school gardens and educational urban agriculture programming with both adults and children for the past decade. Over the past 3 years Marcus has been a community animator with Farm to School BC in both the Nanaimo and Capital Region. One of the biggest highlights of his work was coordinating the first ever Farm to School Conference, which was hosted in Victoria in 2019. The conference brought together over 300 delegates, all with a passion and expertise to share with one another.

Panelist | PEPAḴIYE Ashley Cooper, PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ Programs Director

PEPAḴIYE Ashley Cooper is from W̱JOȽEȽP in W̱SÁNEĆ territory. She has been studying the SENĆOŦEN language for 8 years collectively. PEPAḴIYE graduated W̱,SENĆOŦEN,IST in 2016 with a diploma in Indigenous Language Revitalization through The University of Victoria. PEPAḴIYE has been learning about plants, medicines, and plant technologies in WSANEC for 6 years on her own, and with the support of local community knowledge keepers and elders. She has been working at PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ for 4 years and has been developing curriculum and resources for weekly workshops. She teaches workshops with classes ranging from pre-school to grade 11. PEPAḴIYE is the Programs Director for the PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ Native Plant Nursery and Garden Program, SṈIDȻEȽ Resilency Project, and ȾIḴEL Living Lab.

Panelist | Matthew Kemshaw, Environmental Educator

Matthew is an environmental educator currently working for the EMCS Society, supporting school gardens in the Sooke School District. He has been involved in school garden and food literacy program design and coordination for more than 15 years, with much experience in the not-for-profit and research sectors. Matthew is a father, seed saver, bird watcher and outdoor enthusiast.

Panelist | Leah Seltzer
Program Manager, LifeCycles Project Society

Leah has worked with LifeCycles Project Society since 2017 as the Growing Schools Program Manager. In this role, she weaves together her passions for food justice, youth empowerment, and community engagement in the delivery of school-based gardening programs. She believes in the therapeutic value of learning from nature and has over 15 years of experience in leading transformative programs for youth. Leah is passionate about creating opportunities for young people to participate in building a more resilient and equitable food system.

Panelist | Kayla Siefried, Management Team, Site Manager & Community Education Coordinator

A keen sustainability activist, Kayla finds meaning in advocating for and living an environmentally sustainable life that involves bicycles, all things soils, food, and gardening.

Kayla holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo, where her journey in Environmental Education began. With a great passion for teaching, Kayla has spent time working with people of all ages teaching community resiliency skills, gardening, soil health, food skills, compost, and sustainable lifestyle choices. She’s facilitated cross-cultural youth programs for sustainability in Cambodia, Thailand and Guatemala, and has spent time in many places across Canada doing the same. She has a zest for travel and adventure and appreciates really good food. With permaculture training and farming internships under her belt, Kayla is the steward of the Compost Education Centre demonstration gardens, a community connector, and a soil advocate.

Kayla sees the act of growing food and stewarding the soil as one that can heal on many levels. She feels privileged to teach adults at the Compost Education Centre about composting, gardening, soils, food skills, and conservation.