Nourishing Indigenous Food & Foodways in Schools

Farm to Cafeteria Canada, in partnership with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, is looking for around 10 community members from across Canada to join our Circle of Advisors to inform our Nourishing Indigenous Food and Foodways in Schools initiative.

Where do you need to be located? Anywhere in Canada/Indigenous Territories

How much time will it involve? Between 3-8 hours per month beginning in March 2024 (with a break in December, July and August). Note that March and April 2024 may involve more hours, as you have available, to help develop the Circle’s Terms of Reference, initial project plans and communications. We are inviting Advisors for a 1-year term to start, with the potential to extend for longer (the full initiative is 4 years). 

What experience are we looking for? We are looking for Advisors who can bring experience and/or interest in supporting Indigenous food and foodways in schools in a collaborative way. Advisors do need to be able to join and participate in virtual meetings (support can be provided by community helpers if needed).  

Compensation: $300/month ($500 for the months of March and April 2024 for project startup)

Language: Meetings will be held in English. We will have the capacity to allow Advisors to express themselves in French and welcome participants to speak in their Indigenous language if a community helper is able to translate. 

Please share your interest with us by Monday, February 26th, 2024, using our online form.  

Apply Now

Have questions? Contact us at cwebb@farmtocafeteriacanada.ca

Summary

The Circle of Advisors will be a key part of the project implementation team. Advisors will, as time and interest permits:

  • Participate in project meetings (one or two per month of around 1.5 hours each).
  • Inform the development and implementation of engagement, communications and evaluation plans. 
  • Inform our project processes, including reciprocal agreements and protocols regarding ethical review, knowledge gathering and sharing, and data sovereignty.
  • Advise on the development of a dedicated grant stream to support schools that are located in Indigenous communities, or that serve many Indigenous students, to serve more Indigenous and other healthy foods and more fully integrate Indigenous foodways into their school food systems.  
  • Participate in Nourish’s Food is Our Medicine learning journey and advise on the development of an adapted program for the K-12 school setting. 
  • Participate in project working groups and circles and help advance the project in other ways.  

We would like to have a diversity of Advisors who can reflect, as much as possible, the perspectives of those who will be involved with and benefit from this project. Our vision is to have:

  • 3 Elders & Knowledge Keepers, each of whom could have a community helper to support technology and other participation needs. This helper could also contribute to the Circle and be compensated. 
  • 2 youth (age 15-30)
  • 2-4 other members of school food communities, including school and land-based educators, food providers, health providers and allies.
About Farm to Cafeteria Canada and our local food to school efforts

Farm to Cafeteria Canada (F2CC) is a pan-Canadian partnership-based organization whose vision is to see food systems that nourish people and the planet. Our organization is built upon relationships, and its purpose is to transform how food is experienced, learned and celebrated in all schools across Canada. Learn more here.

F2CC is a non-Indigenous organization. Since 2011, when we were established, F2CC has committed to supporting Indigenous food systems in our funded projects and food literacy activities. We have funded and supported two 2-year $50,000 community-led learning circle conversations; co-developed an Indigenous School Food Circle to support networking and sharing; and given grants of up to $10,000 to 193 schools in Canada, of which 54 schools have self-identified as Indigenous or as having strong connections to Indigenous communities. We have funded many projects where, from remote communities to urban centres, schools are engaging Elders and Knowledge Keepers to teach about food and Indigenous food systems and are incorporating traditional foods, practices and traditions throughout the school day. Read Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay Secondary School, Masset BC’s story and learn about other schools that are integrating Indigenous foodways.

F2CC has been working within our own team to envision how our mandate and operations can better include and reflect Indigenous voices, perspectives, values, and knowledge. In 2021, we hosted 3 virtual sharing circles where Indigenous community members and individuals who support Indigenous communities shared stories of learning, prosperity, challenges and resiliency within their community’s school food initiatives. What we heard was an interest in F2CC continuing to hold conversations and space so that people can build relationships, share how they have overcome challenges, and share resources and stories with each other of how they are reshaping their school food systems. We also heard an interest in F2CC providing flexible and accessible granting opportunities that are suited to Indigenous schools and communities. This current work is intended to support what we heard.

Please share your interest with us by Monday, February 26th, 2024, using our online form.  

Apply Now