Internships & Students Opportunities

FoodARC welcomes students into a dynamic, rich, and supportive learning environment. Community college and university students are encouraged to inquire about internship and other learning opportunities (e.g., co-op placements, dietetic internships, etc.). Students at FoodARC are members of the core team, co-learners, and research partners.

Participatory leadership, experiential learning, and working with communities are cornerstones to student experiences. Students also pioneer approaches, such as employing photography and video for research and action, using social media, and trying innovative approaches for sharing knowledge. Each project has different opportunities, in addition to working across projects and activities.

At FoodARC, students are involved in many capacities – as graduate students, dietetic interns, volunteers, and research assistants. Student involvement creates and models inclusive environments where students find opportunities for personal and professional development. The students at FoodARC are passionate about food security issues in Nova Scotia and beyond and use this passion in their work with FoodARC projects and their unique research projects.

The community-based participatory research (CBPR) focus at FoodARC enhances students’ experiences and enriches their learnings beyond the classroom. Students have attributed much of their learning from their placements here to being involved in CBPR projects and the experiential learning experiences. For example, findings from a 2014 student-led participatory research study showed that CBPR enriches students’ learning by deepening their understanding of household food insecurity (HFI) and community food security (CFS). Five students who were currently engaged in placements at FoodARC used Photovoice to answer the question: “What experiences have you had as a part of FoodARC that have made you more able to address food security issues?” ¹

Three overarching themes emerged from this research for students’ main learnings during their placements with FoodARC. These themes were 1.  Expanded understanding of HFI/CFS and potential solutions to address these issues, 2. Models of participatory ways of working, and 3. Informing their future professional practices¹. Additionally, a highlight of engaging in CPBR for students is the ability to engage with community members which furthers their understanding of HFI and CFS issues. CBPR is transdisciplinary and allows students to be introduced to other aspects of HFI and CFS beyond what they have learned in their courses. By participating in CBPR students develop personally and professionally, gain new skills, and knowledge that they will use in the future¹.

The article on students’ stories with CPBR can be found here:

1. Pabani N., Lordly D., Knezevic I., Williams P. (2020). Student engagement with community-based participatory food security research: Exploring reflections through photovoice. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research n/a: 1-5.

 

Current Students

• Chloe Pineau
• Sarah Chandler
• Jessica Tremblay

Alumni & Previous Dietetic Interns

Stef Amos Kim Allen Menna Ataya Jessica Bihari Andrea Booth Alyson Branton Diana Chard Samantha Cohen Alyson Cox Katie Cvitkovitch Emily Duvar Elisa Ferrante Irena Forbes Christopher Hardy Josh Keil Erin Kelly Ksenia Kholina Nicole MacPherson Brett Maletic Kerensa March Molly McCormick

Vanessa Mermuys Maryke Mody Walaa Moumineh Lesley Neil Beverley Noseworthy Kelvin Pang Megan Ramsay Kendra Read Chris Stothart Sarah Shaw Carrie Terrio Kelly Whalen Emily Duvar Rachel Everett Victoria Hamm Joseph Nyemah Nadia Pabani Felicia Newell Sumi Iqbal

Videos

Below, you’ll find some videos about student involvement and student-led projects.

Dietetic Internships at FoodARC

Check out this video about the Mount community garden.

A video by Carrie Terrio and Walaa Mumenah about community food security as part of their MSVU graduate coursework in Applied Human Nutrition.