Food for Thought: Workshops Announced!

Schedule:

TIME    CONTENT
8.30 – 8.35    Intro
8.35 – 8.55    Mark Kingwell: building your knowledge and expanding your circle of care
8.55 – 10:25    Workshop Period: What’s the recipe for change?
10:25 – 10:40    Break
10:40 – 11.50    Student Showcase and Q & A (with students and Mark Kingwell)
11.50 – 12.45    Lunch (featuring special recipes from our Food Services, Peggy, and ChocoSol)

Keynote Speaker:

Born into a military family in 1963, Mark Kingwell was educated in Canada, Britain, and the United States, where he completed a Ph.D. in philosophy at Yale University in 1991.  He is now Professor of Philosophy and Associate Chair at the University of Toronto, a Fellow of Trinity College, and a contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine.

Mr. Kingwell has lectured extensively in Canada, the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia, and has written for publications ranging from the Journal of Philosophy and Philosophical Forum to the New York Times and Auto Racing Digest. He is former columnist for Adbusters, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail.  He also writes regularly about his various enthusiasms, including fly fishing, baseball, contemporary art, and cocktails.  Among his fifteen books of political and cultural theory are the national bestsellers Better Living (1998), The World We Want (2000), and Concrete Reveries (2008).

Mr. Kingwell's honours include National Magazine Awards for both essays and columns, the Spitz Prize in political theory, and an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design for his contributions to theory and criticism.  He has most recently published a collection of essays on art and philosophy called Opening Gambits, an edited volume of art and theory about public space called Rites of Way, and a philosophical biography of the pianist Glenn Gould called, appropriately, Glenn Gould.  His next book, a study of the prospects for 21st-century global politics, will be called Democracy's Gift.

Engaging in Possibility: Food for Thought Workshops:

1) The Edible City
There is a lot of hype around food these days – more specifically, around the problem of creating a sustainable food system.  From the 100 Mile Diet to organic to local to free range, we are starting to learn more, and care more, about how we eat – but why?  What's the difference between a large industrial farm and a small-scale one?  Does shopping at farmers' markets actually make a difference?  Is organic food really tastier?  When we are disconnected from the practice of farming, as people living in cities often are, it can be hard to grasp the significance of our food choices on the environment, our local economy, and our sense of community.  In this interactive workshop you'll talk about some of these issues, and learn how simple things like how you shop, cook, and eat can be acts of environmental activism. 

(Contributing writers to the book, “The Edible City”, will lead this workshop.)

2) The Starving Artist: Feeding the Muse
Poet, novelist, and professor Priscila Uppal will lead a creative workshop designed to get students talking with their poetic muse.  When we produce art, what are we hungry for?  How do we keep feeding this part of the self?  How can this process change our lives, and the world?  The workshop will also offer insight into the practicalities of the artistic life in Canada, how writers and artists literally feed their bellies.  *Poetry will be written by all as part of the workshop, so please bring pens and paper and an open imagination!

*Priscila Uppal is a Toronto poet, fiction and non-fiction writer born in Ottawa in 1974.  Among her critically-acclaimed publications are five collections of poetry, including most recently, Live Coverage (2003), and Ontological Necessities (2006; shortlisted for the prestigious $50,000 Griffin Poetry Prize); the novels The Divine Economy of Salvation (2002) and To Whom it May Concern (2009), and the academic study We are What we Mourn: The Contemporary English-Canadian Elegy.  Her work has been published internationally and translated into Croatian, Dutch, Greek, Korean, Latvian, and Italian.  She has a PhD in English Literature and is professor at York University in Toronto.  Forthcoming in 2010 are Traumatology, a new book of poetry with Exile Editions, and Successful Tragedies, selected poetry, with Bloodaxe Books U.K.

3) Nutrition for the Lungs
We know that to live life fully and freely is an art, requiring skills, intuition, creativity and knowledge, but how do we ensure we live those values individually?  In a complex world, how do you stay calm, cool, and collected while trying to tackle some of the issues we face?  The Art of Living Foundation believes in strengthening the individual to address this question, and creates the space to do this by teaching skills specifically related to breath and yoga.  Oxygen is food, and this workshop will help you explore Food for Thought from an individual and health perspective. *Bring comfortable clothes you can move freely in!

4) The Rhythm of the Feast
New Years Eve, Birthdays, Funerals, Weddings – every time we want to celebrate something we eat, we dance and we sing.  It seems to be in our nature as human beings to connect these disciplines in a multitude of ways in our world.  Food, music and celebration have been a part of shared humanity since the beginning.  So, how do you celebrate?  How do you welcome a stranger into your culture?  Join Professor Kwasi Dunyo as he guides us through the intricacies embedded in the relationship between culture and music. 

5) The Story of Food
Food Sovereignty is about putting control of food back in the hands and bellies of people. Though enough food is grown to feed the world, there is much to do to fix the global food system. This lively, interactive workshop will bring out the dynamics and politics of food, demanding each of us think harder and act deeper to promote food justice. We will explore and talk about questions such as: ‘Does what I eat cause hunger or injustice somewhere? Here? There?’ and ‘Where are the role models for the world we do want – with enough good food for all?’  The workshop starts with pictures and stories from the global food justice/food sovereignty activities of USC Canada (www. usc-canada.org), then moves into games and resources for taking action – among them ‘Story of Food’.

6) Food Architecture
Whether we know it or not, agricultural issues have an impact on the design of urban spaces and buildings.  So, how can the design of cities, urban landscapes, buildings, and gardens facilitate the production of food in cities (especially ours)?  What role can design play in strengthening the links between urban environments and food?  “Carrot City” – a collection of people and ideas that use design to enable sustainable food production – is an initiative housed at Ryerson University.  Workshop facilitators from this project will share with you how they are helping to re-introduce urban agriculture to our cities, and what you can do to get involved.


7) Meal Exchange
In the past, how have young people changed the world?  In the present, what have young rabble-rousers done to address the things they care about?  Drawing on the examples of food security and the global food system, you will leave this workshop understanding what social change is, the possibilities for changing the food system, and how 21st century technology and the legacy of past youth movements have changed the way young people can advocate for change.

*Dave Kranenburg, the facilitator of this workshop, is the Executive Director of Meal Exchange, an organization he helped create when he was 19.  Meal Exchange is an exciting national youth-led organization committed to eliminating local hunger and is well known for its work with food security and supporting the development of youth leaders and change-makers. 

8) Peggy’s Recipe for Change
Can uncovering your true potential and purpose in life be found by making small changes to your favourite cookie recipe?  Absolutely.  Nutritionist and Culinary Consultant, Peggy Kotsopoulos, will take you through a delicious workshop that taps into the role food plays in our ability to make decisions, pursue happiness and develop the courage and clarity to live the life we want.  You will learn about the energy food and how it feeds our soul, our cells, our thought process, and of course, our cravings!  You will also get to take part in a food demonstration and sample how scrumptious living your passion can be. So come with an appetite for change and tasty treats! 

9) Kids Against Canadian Hunger
Darren Cole, grade 11 student, understands that world hunger is a big issue.  Knowing this, he created a charity called Kids Against Canadian Hunger (K.A.C.H.) despite his busy high school schedule.  How did he do this?  How do you connect with people that will support your idea, how do you maintain that network, and how do you balance your school obligations with running your own charity?  In this workshop, learn from Darren about how he turned his passion into action and how the community council got connected to him and the work that he’s doing. *Cookie decoration will take place!

10) Bridging the Gap: Hunger & Food Waste
Every day in Toronto thousands of people cannot afford to buy food for themselves or their family. At the same time, thousands of pounds of edible food is thrown away.  Second Harvest operates under the principle that if we rescue food that is going to landfill, there is enough to feed everyone. In this workshop, you will learn why there are so many people in our city in need of food assistance, explore solutions for change and brainstorm new ideas for ensuring everyone has access to the food they need. Become part of the solution to hunger and food waste in our city.

11) What Toronto Eats
How do people around Toronto eat?  What does it cost to feed a family healthy food for a week?  What kind of nutrition are people getting?  Through powerful photos of various family diets from the What Toronto Eats exhibit, and by role-playing grocery shopping scenarios in different neighbourhoods, we'll explore the factors that influence the cost of food in our city.

FoodShare's mandate is to work with communities to improve access to healthy and affordable food from field to table. The Recipe for Change Campaign encourages real change to happen in schools – from food with flavour in cafeterias, to real world food skills like gardening and cooking in the classroom. Come get inspired and fired up about the kind of changes you can make in your world when it comes to food.

12) ChocoSol: Sustainable, Equitable Business
Six years ago Michael Sacco showed up in Oaxaca, Mexico with an idea for a solar coffee roaster that would be "useful and profitable". Working with local farmers, he built a solar concentrator based on the designs of Canadian inventor Fraser Symington and started trying to roast chocolate.  With his success, he decided to set up a partnership with the local farmers and brought their products to the Toronto market!  So how does one invite and delight people with a delicious and nutritious product line?  How do you address current problems relating to ecology, inequality, and interculturality through chocolate?  Come make and talk chocolate, social justice and innovation in this workshop!

13) Policing the Food Policies in Our City
The Toronto Youth Food Policy Council partners with business and community groups in Toronto to develop policies and programs promoting food security.  But why do we need a Food Policy Council in the first place?  What does that look like?  Can a food system that fosters equitable food access, nutrition, community development and environmental health come out of such a council?  Come to this workshop to work with members of the youth council to find out how you can make impact at a policy level, how to use the tool of “community mapping”, and what it’s like to sit on a council of the City of Toronto!

14) Do the Math
Poverty in Ontario is at an all time high.  As the economic crisis grows, so does the number of people relying on social assistance and food banks in Toronto.  The Civic Engagement program at The Stop Community Centre asks us: does a single person on social assistance receive enough income to live with health and dignity?  Do The Math to find out!  This workshop will include a discussion of the causes and circumstances that lead people to use emergency food programs like food banks and consider what we can do collectively to ensure that no one in our province goes hungry.

15) Harmoniously Moving
Harmony Movement’s focus is on diversity and equity using media literacy as a tool.  Through all of the programming that they offer, they support people in learning about themselves and understanding what makes them who they are.  “Before we can even begin to understand the world around us,” they say, “we need to know who we are, first.”

In this workshop, participants will uncover how the media shapes their understanding of consumption in Toronto, in North America, and in the world, and they will learn how to question society's understanding of poverty and inequity in certain communities.  This interactive workshop will allow for difficult questions such as - What is poverty? Who is poor? Who stays poor? - to be discussed.  Students will not only identify concepts such as racialized poverty and classism, but they will also learn how to be an advocate to create necessary change.  Participants will learn about individuals and organizations that are making a difference, and will create strategies to raise awareness and to combat discriminatory attitudes and behaviours in their school and community. 

16) The Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash
Agriculturalists in our Iroquoian culture had ceremonies for the seeds and to celebrate the cycle of the planting season.  Do these ceremonies still exist?  Bill Woodworth, architect and Mohawk traditionalist, returns to Havergal to explore this tradition, sharing with us the theme of The Three Sisters – corn, beans, and squash – their origins in Creation, and their integrated use in many things.

17) Change for Change:  Feeding Canada's athletes
Did you know that many of Canada's top athletes have to go to food banks to get enough to eat?  Many of Canada's athletes (the ones we'll be cheering for in Vancouver!) scrape by, living close to the poverty line. 

Olympian and Old Girl Alexandra Orlando, is joining us to share her work with Athletes CAN, an organization founded and led by athletes, dedicated to creating the support athletes need to maximize their capabilities.  Explore the activist in the athlete in this dynamic session – stretch your body and your mind!

18) Sport for Community Development
Does sport build social cohesion?  How does playing allow us to realize our shared humanity?  Concrete Hoops is a local non-profit organization that uses sport to create social change and build leadership in young people.  Their philosophy of sport is that it is capable of reducing barriers and increasing community participation in a positive way – through play!  Join them in learning ways to use sport for community development and social inclusion.

19) Youth Voices
What is the connection between story-telling, water, health and well-being, and food?  Are these topics (or “systems”) connected?  Does it matter?  Youth Voices, a project at the School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, argues that each of these things are connected and have the power to effect every aspect of our personal and community health.  Join this vibrant group of young people to learn how to explore global capability, identify problems, and create community action.

20) Connect the dots: Creating Food Security in Ontario
Local farmers’ markets, community and school gardens, food co-ops, urban gardens, farmer training programs, Alternative Land Use Services, new certification regimes - all of these emerging possibilities support healthier, tastier food for all. As this happens, everyone benefits and communities become stronger and more inclusive.

So, how do we create the conditions for these initiatives to flourish?

Sustain Ontario strengthens food and farming networks, showcases food system innovations and champions, and presses for policy reform.  In this workshop you will see how your personal food choices link to the good food revolution happening at regional, provincial and federal levels.

21) Living and Giving: The Social Entrepreneur
What does it take to be a social entrepreneur? This workshop will look at what it takes to embark on a journey to create and sustain an enterprise whose prime purpose is to have social value.  What are the characteristics of the social entrepreneur? Do you think you might have them? We will look at some of the difficulties that can be encountered in starting such a business.  We will also look at the profiles of some young successful social entrepreneurs.  We will finish the workshop by blue skying some ideas for actual social entrepreneurship businesses.

Teresa Woods Snelgrove (1964) has been a serial entrepreneur in a variety of arenas: she is a co-founder of Timothy’s World Coffees, Chapters Bookstore/Café, After Graduation, General Wellbeing, and Snelgrove Associates. Some of these ventures were successful; others were not. She has recently been appointed President of ProFitHR, a spinout company from McMaster University and is hoping to take it to its next stage of growth.



22) Growing Future Friendly Products
Agricultural researchers in Canada and around the world know there are better ways to produce things like plastic bags, utensils, cups, plates and other (currently) wasteful materials.  But the question is: can it only be done only at the expense of crops grown for food?  Find out about biodegradable plastics produced from plant starches, fuels and lubricants that burn clean and efficiently and are non-polluting, and what you can do to change the world via science – agricultural science!  Through this workshop you will see, touch and feel what plants offer us to fuel our future from Andrea Labaj, a scientist, educator, and researcher for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

23) Charting Your Own Destiny
Wahn Yoon, President of non-traditional advertising agency Wunderkind, believes that to be effective in the world requires authenticity and self-direction.  So, how do you chart your own authentic destiny? In this workshop, Mr. Yoon will share his story (how he came to work in advertising and his unorthodox career path toward it), an example of a new campaign he’s involved with called: Because I am a Girl, and what actions you can take to determine (and apply) your values, aspirations, and dreams to something you care about.

24) "What makes you think you can make a difference?"
Two and a half millennia after his death, the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is remembered for his commitment to philosophical questioning.  Prowling the marketplace of Athens, he engaged his fellow citizens in debate about the meaning of life by asking provocative questions.  He was revered and feared, and died drinking hemlock after an Athenian court sentenced him to death for "praising false gods" and "corrupting the youth of Athens."

Clearly he was someone who made a difference.  In this session, we will discuss the underlying questions that attend all issues of social justice.  What makes us think we can make a difference?  What counts as a difference?  How do we get started?  How do we go on?  How do we deal with the consequences?  This may lead to some discomfort, a frequent result of Socratic dialogue, but no hemlock will be consumed in the course of this session.  *Mark Kingwell will be facilitating this session.

25) Food as a Human Right?
Amnesty International is an independent global movement of over 2 million people in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights.  Amnesty’s work is based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and originally focused on political and civil rights.  In the past decade the organization has moved to included economic, social, and cultural goals as issues of human rights.  In this workshop Dorothea Manson, a longtime Amnesty volunteer, will introduce Amnesty’s work and activities, and relate the Millennium Development Goals to its mandate.  Participants will create written actions like letters and petitions and brainstorm other activities to show food issues in the context of human rights.

26) Project: Humanity - Elephant Hunters
Change occurs through Action.  Action is provoked by Discussion.  Discussion is stimulated through emotional reactions.  Theatre makes Change by emotionally affecting its audience.  This workshop will show you how you can use theatre as a tool for social change.  The 'elephant in the room' is the problem that we are afraid to discuss. Maybe we don't know how, don't know what to say, or don't know how others will react to it.  But the more we avoid it, the more we empower it. Through theatre, Project: Humanity will guide you through an exploration of how to create and use theatre that identifies, addresses and attacks the elephant in the room.

27) Women Moving Women Out of Poverty
Poverty is one of the many reasons why people go hungry in Canada.  One in seven women in Canada lives in poverty.

A groundbreaking campaign by the Canadian Women’s Foundation has the goal to help 2500 women and their families on their journeys out of poverty.  The funds raised by this campaign provide low-income women with the skills, resources, and confidence they need to gain economic independence and stop the cycle of poverty.  The CWF knows that when you invest in women, you are investing in your community, and when you invest in your community, you make a more prosperous country for everyone.

You’ll meet Leigh Naturkach, CWF manager, and one of the CWF-funded past program participants, Mary-Catherine Zwambag.  Mary-Catherine has her own business, Miss Fix It, and she will demonstrate the skills she learned through a CWF-funded program and how it changed her life.

28) Me to We
You’re inspired and motivated to change the world – now what? Me to We Leadership facilitators will coach you through WAKE, an awareness-raising process that will give you tangible ways to put your passion into action. Founded in 1999 by international spokespeople for change, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger,  Me to We Leadership delivers leadership training experiences to more than 350,000 youth every year. Take your leadership skills to the next level and be the change!

29) It's so Easy Living Green
Being "eco-conscious" means being aware of what you are doing, buying, using, and what it does to the environment.  Do you want to be more eco-conscious, but don't know where to start?  This motivating workshop will teach you fun and simple ways to improve your health and the health of the planet, a true recipe for change.  Join Havergal Old Girl, Lesley Stoyan (1990), Director and owner of Daily Apple, to learn how easy living green can actually be!

30) Faithfully Fed: finding a balance in complexity
A panel discussion with people who practice various faith traditions, including the Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, and Muslim perspectives.  These panelists will explore the journey of food through food preparation (ie. growing/buying), how we demonstrate our value and thanks for food (ie. how we "bless" our food), and how we consume it (ie. why do certain traditions not eat certain foods together, for example).  Panelists will also explore how our personal values fit into this picture (How do we choose what we eat? How do we value food?  What impact does it have?)

The Educator’s Food for Thought: Resources for the Classroom
(*for teachers only*)
Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc. (OAFE) is a not for profit, registered charity dedicated to enhancing the learning experiences of students by providing educators with high quality, objective and curriculum-linked agriculture and food related learning materials.  This workshop will highlight a variety of OAFE resources on sustainability, stewardship, healthy eating, and global food issues, and will demonstrate how these topics can be integrated into the curriculum to further support student learning resulting from the Food for Thought Conference.  Each participant will receive a complimentary package of OAFE resources to use in the classroom.

Food for Thought Workshop: ChocoSol

ChocoSol - a sustainable, equitable business - will be coming to Havergal College on January 13th as part of a half-day conference called Food for Thought.

What's ChocoSol all about?
Six years ago Michael Sacco showed up in Oaxaca, Mexico with an idea for a solar coffee roaster that would be "useful and profitable". Working with local farmers, he built a solar concentrator based on the designs of Canadian inventor Fraser Symington and started trying to roast chocolate.  With his success, he decided to set up a partnership with the local farmers and brought their products to the Toronto market!  During his workshop on Jan. 13th, he will explore questions like, how does one invite and delight people with a delicious and nutritious product line?  How do you address current problems relating to ecology, inequality, and interculturality through chocolate?  Get excited to make and talk chocolate, social justice and innovation in his workshop in the New Year!


(Below is a video that Anika Roberts Stahlbrand, grade 12 student, produced for a class project at her school.)