What does the Breakfast Club of Canada and UBC have in common?

Let us show you! 

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Meet the Team 

Welcome to our wonderful blog where we will be sharing our experiences, thoughts, emotions, challenges and success with you!

We are a group of UBC students, currently enrolled in Land, Food, and Community II, who come from different areas of study but share a common passion for utilizing our knowledge, skills and attributes to learn about Canada’s food system and make meaningful contributions to the communities around us.

 

 Introductions

Farimah Darvishi:
          Hello, my name is Farimah Darvishi, I am currently studying Nutritional Sciences at University of British Columbia. Nutrition and health has always been a great interest of mine. I enjoy implementing my skills and knowledge in this field to demonstrate the importance of food and nutrition; and not only can it impact an individual but a community as a whole. The ability to use my passion and understandings towards something significant has definitely made an influence on my perspective. I enjoy learning and being able to meet people along the way and appreciate all the challenges faced through this journey

Gloria Sun:
          Hello, my name is Gloria Sun! I am a current third year student studying Food, Nutrition & Health at UBC. I am highly passionate about food and nutrition, and am constantly looking for new opportunities to continue to spark my passions for this field. Ever since a young age, I have always enjoyed learning and incorporating nutrition into my everyday life. I believe that every person in this world has a different journey and story, and I wholeheartedly enjoy meeting, getting to know and learning from new people. I hope to utilize my passions and knowledge to inspire and teach others how to live more beneficial, healthier lives.

Hannah Zmudzinski:
          Hi, my name is Hannah Zmudzinski and I am a third year Food, Nutrition and Health Major at UBC. As a former athlete, nutrition and healthy eating have always been a priority and keen interest of mine. I love learning about food in all of its senses, from nutrition, science and medicine to sustenance, sustainability, social and spiritual. I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people who share my passion for food and food security and getting the chance to use my education to further understand how our food system works and what I can do to improve it.

Heather Bergen:
          Hi, my name is Heather Bergen.  I am in my third year of the Food, Nutrition and Health major at UBC.  I have a passion for food and want to help people to learn simple and convenient ways to improve their diet.  I want to be able to help improve access to safe and nutritious food for everyone.  In addition to my interest in food, I enjoy reading, crocheting, and watching good films.

Karan Khaira:
          Hello, my name is Karan Khaira. I am currently in an Applied Animal Biology major at UBC. My passions lie in fitness and  in health, and my family roots come from an agricultural background which makes it all that more important for me to continue that into my career going forward. I’ve seen the power of a healthy well balanced diet first hand, it transformed my life, and I am now an advocate of food. I try to make everyone around me eat healthier and eat better. I believe that with discipline and forward thinking that anything is possible. I am extremely passionate about teaching others from my knowledge, and experiences.

Common Interests

Our interests as a group are centred around food, nutrition, and food security. We are interested in taking the knowledge and skills we have gained within and outside of UBC and putting them to use in a real world setting to make positive changes in communities within British Columbia and Canada. We look forward to meeting and learning from professionals who share the same interests and goals.

Why Did We Choose “Breakfasts on a Budget”?

As Land and Food Systems students, we each understand the implications that food security has on human health and well-being, economic growth and healthy social relationships. This project was our first choice initially because we were interested in developing creative, nutritious recipes for young students. This task requires the use of knowledge gained from Food, Nutrition and Health courses as well as an understanding of what kids like to eat. We were also attracted to this project because of its scale. We were excited about getting to work with a well-established and respected organization and contribute to a cause that aims to feed young students all over the country.

Goals & Objectives

• Integrate ABCD strategies by identifying assets within the organization and participating communities to create a successful plan that results in sustainable contributions.
• Utilize our skills and expertise to provide a tool that can easily be used within the Breakfast Club of Canada by school volunteers, parents and students.
• Create nutritious and innovative recipes that add something new to the menu plans currently being implemented.
• Ensure that our recipes are cost-effective.
• Maintain communication with community partner throughout entire process.
• Collect and present valuable data to the Breakfast Club of Canada.

What Do We Hope to Gain From This Experience? 

By the end of this semester, we hope to gain a few things:

1. Develop a more realistic understanding of just some of the challenges surrounding food security in British Columbia.
2. Improve our public communication skills through consistent communication with our community partner, speaking with community stakeholders and meeting breakfast program volunteers and participants.
3. Learn to manage uncertainties as a team.

A Little Bit About the Breakfast Club of Canada

The Breakfast Club of Canada is currently celebrating their 20th year of providing young students all over the country with healthy and nutritious breakfasts. School Breakfast Programs that have been initiated by this organization exist in over 1, 400 schools across Canada, reaching approximately 150, 000 students (BCC, 2015). These numbers represent a incredible cause that is so relevant to many Canadian’s lives in that 1.15 million children in Canada are at risk of going to school hungry due to lack of access to nutritious food (BCC, 2015).

This organization aims to include each and every student, regardless of household income, geographic region, class, religion or ethnicity, to join their classmates and share a healthy breakfast before school every morning. In addition to fuelling students, they also aim to provide an environment that allows students’ self-esteem to grow and flourish. By promoting empowerment, enrichment and engagement, the Club gives communities the tools and incentive to make positive changes within the community, by the community (BCC, 2015).

Our First Impressions

As a group, we are very excited and honoured to be able to take part in this amazing project. We were very glad to see that the Breakfast Club of Canada staff were very attentive and eager to listen to what our goals are and who we are individually. Moreover, the staff take on a very professional and sincere stance. We can clearly see the passion, and the strong drive to make a difference. Similar to the TED Talk by Ernesto Sirolli, The Breakfast Club of Canada puts great emphasis on listening to the community and understanding that the input of the community is vital when designing these projects. Furthermore, they do exhibit asset-based community development by using resources already present in the schools, bringing in organizations within and outside of the community and bringing communities together. In most cases, it is parents and/or volunteers who prepare and serve the breakfasts to students and local establishments who either donate or fundraise to cover the cost of food and supplies. The end goal of the Breakfast Club of Canada is ultimately to help schools become self-sufficient in providing nutritious breakfasts to students and if anything bringing communities together through empowerment, engagement and enrichment.  In specifics, they are clear on the assets they have, and utilize these in creative ways to make improvements throughout the 1400 schools involved all across Canada.

 

References

Breakfast Club of Canada. Visited on December 9th, 2015. http://www.breakfastclubcanada.org/