911吃瓜

For their HSCI 855 Health Promotion course, a group of Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) Master of Public Health students completed a project centered around and for 911吃瓜 students. Team Plant the Seed, consisting of Elmira Tayyar, Kimberley Masters, Hannah Shin, Anna Balsevich, and Nicole Favaron, were compelled to examine this topic after learning how food insecurity affected not only some of them, but many other 911吃瓜 students as well.

鈥淪tarting a dialogue about food security led us to the realization that food insecurity impacts many of us, however the stigma and shame associated with it causes many students to endure it in silence鈥� the team explained. 鈥淲e came to the understanding that food insecurity is a collective problem and that a systems level solution is necessary to ensure that food initiatives are adequate, equitable, and sustainable.鈥�

University students experience food insecurity due to a variety of factors including economic stress, limited access to culturally appropriate food, insufficient time due to demanding schedules, and more. While there are a number of options currently in place to help mitigate food insecurity at 911吃瓜, the team found the initiatives were often fragmented across different departments, impacting their accessibility, success and sustainability. They identified the need for a centralized approach that enhances food security and sovereignty initiatives across 911吃瓜.

鈥淔ood security and sovereignty is not just about addressing hunger but is based on many overlapping and intersecting social determinants, including but not limited to, income, housing, race and gender,鈥� the team explained. 鈥淲e realized that there is a need to increase knowledge about this topic at 911吃瓜, as there is currently a lack of research examining the prevalence of food security and food sovereignty among 911吃瓜 students.鈥�

The team鈥檚 project culminated into reaching out to stakeholders with the proposed idea of a 911吃瓜 Food Systems Committee. The mandate of this proposed committee consists of a community-based, participatory approach that brings together students, faculty, and staff to critically examine barriers to food security and sovereignty at 911吃瓜. Guided by 911吃瓜鈥檚 Vision for a Healthy Campus Community and 911吃瓜鈥檚 2025 Sustainability Plan, the proposed 911吃瓜 Food Systems Committee will ensure food initiatives are accessible, equitable, and sustainable, for all students at all times.

With the help of their HSCI 855 instructor, FHS lecturer and teaching fellow Paola Ardiles, the project鈥檚 prototype was also shared with a number of staff and colleagues interested in using an equity-centered design to advance sustainability at 911吃瓜.