Nova Scotia Youth and Food Networking Event

Last Thursday Janurary 15th, Nova Scotia Youth and Food hosted their first Networking event at FoodARC.

Many members of the Meal Exchange chapter on campus at MSVU received funding or bursaries to attend the Food Secure Canada Assembly in Halifax in November 2014. Some students shared back their experiences with other members of the chapter through photographs.

We asked students the question:

“What has changed for you since attending the Food Secure Canada Assembly?”

Landon Brown, an student in the Nutrition Program at MSVU had the opportunity to volunteer and take notes at some interesting sessions at the Assembly, including a session on local and sustainable fish. He took this photograph at the Atlantic Superstore on Barrington Street, and was quite surprised how knowledgeable the staff selling the fish were!

After the conference I started to pay attention and purchase local Nova Scotia fish.”
– Landon Brown

Laura Pugsley, also a student in the Nutrition program at MSVU was sponsored at attend the Assembly by FoodARC and MSVU. She found that she’s began to have a better understanding of conservation and land issues in relation to food sovereignty. She found a session hosted by ACORN (Atlantic Canada Organic Regional Network) on barriers to land access particularly interesting, and snapped this photo above Saskatchewan to illustrate how she has begun to look at how we use our land, from a plane.
 

“The Assembly highlighted the importance of protecting agricultural lands and advocating for land reform and redistribution. I learned that these issues are vital in achieving food sovereignty.”

– Laura Pugsley

Gillian Bennett who is also a nutrition student at MSVU, was sponsored by FoodARC and MSVU to attend the Assembly. She found the session “The ABCs of GMOs” particularly interesting, because she had gone into the session not knowing too much about genetically modified organisms. She now keeps this handy little info guide about GM foods on her fridge to help her make decisions about which foods to avoid!

 “At the conference I attended a discussion about GM foods and their effects on the food system and the environment.  Ever since, I find myself thinking about where our food in the grocery store comes from and what is in it.  I didn’t realize genetic modification was so widely used in the foods I eat day to day!”

– Gillian Bennett

Katie Cvitkovitch who is a nutrition student at MSVU and an Research Assistant at FoodARC received a bursary from Food Secure Canada to attend the Assembly. After the Assembly, she began thinking about what her role can be in the food movement after she graduates this year. The photo she chose is from a Meal Exchange event hosted by USC Canada, because that event in particular made her start thinking about all the inspiring work going on the Food Movement!

“After the assembly, I began to think more about how I see myself being involved in the ‘Food Movement’ when I’m no longer a student. It was really inspiring to see so much important work happening across the country”

– Katie Cvitkovitch

Justin Cantafio, the Sustainable Fisheries Campaigner at the Ecology Action Centre was particularly excited about getting local and sustainable fish on university campuses in Halifax. We are hoping at MSVU to work with our campus Foodservice provider this semester to make this dream a reality!

Other conversations about international student food insecurity, fishing, and the how surprised we were about the amount of people who attended the Assembly (~500 attendees!!) were also interesting conversations that were had at this session.

For more information about the Nova Scotia Youth and Food Network, please join our group on Facebook, or send an email to MSVU@MealExchange.com
For more information about the Meal Exchange Chapter at MSVU, please join our group, like our page, or send an email to MSVU@MealExchange.com