Steve Fazzari never expected his idea to come this far. It started with an interest in teaching youth about nutrition. It was something Steve thought was lacking in the community and that could make a big difference. As he began making more connections on campus and within the community, his idea slowly became a reality. Today, he and fellow Food, Nutrition, and Health student Annie Passmore are leading a passionate group of fellow UBC students to run Food for Thought, an after school program at Hastings Elementary that teaches food and nutrition concepts to inner city youth through fun and interactive workshops. Steve’s journey began, strangely enough, in a lecture hall. Two years ago, he was taking an an FNH 250 (Nutrition and Controversies) course based on the application of the fundamental concepts of human nutrition to current nutrition issues. In one of his classes, he was listening to an in-class presentation about Community Based Experiential Learning (CBEL) projects and instantly saw it as a real opportunity to work within the community. For Steve, it was important to work with youth, who he envisioned as the leaders of tomorrow. He reached out and connected with Kyle Nelson, a CBEL officer in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems – and that’s when his idea started taking shape. Kyle and a colleague from the Centre for Community Engaged Learning were then able to connect Steve to the Templeton Community Schools Team Programmer. From the beginning, Steve never saw this as an individual project.

---

Knowing he wanted to get as many people involved as he could, Steve set out to bring together passionate individuals to turn his idea into reality. To find new volunteers, it wasn’t about explaining every minor role and detail of his idea. Rather, Steve preferred to share his passion with people, explain what he’s doing, and why he thinks it’s important. His enthusiasm is working. Food for Thought has grown into an ever-expanding group of dedicated, passionate colleagues. In winter 2012, Steve applied for a community grant with the Centre for Community Engaged Learning. He was awarded $1,225, which helped create and develop Food for Thought during the program’s first year. During summer 2013, as Food for Thought continued to grow, Steve applied for and received a follow up grant from the Centre for Community Engaged Learning, which allowed the program to continue through summer and fall last year. They’ve learned how to make the most of their funding. Food for Thought has small costs, which can run from as little as $15-$20 for a less expensive workshop. Since they work with youth in Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside, Food for Thought makes sure they introduce snacks that are feasible, to promote healthy eating as affordable eating. The program introduces food and nutrition in fun and interactive ways to students in grades 1 to 7. The workshops begin with an educational portion that introduces concepts. Concepts are then cemented through a hands-on portion where students get to make and try different foods.

Their main goal is to get youth to become independent thinkers who explore all the different choices they have, both with food and with their future. Food for Thought has introduced the youth to some of their new favorite foods. From spinach to carrot juice and kale chips, they’re always pleasantly surprised by how much the kids end up liking the new foods. For many of the youth, it’s the first time they’ve ever seen some of them. Sometimes it takes a bit of positive peer pressure – one brave student to take the plunge and give it a taste test. But soon after, all the students are lining up, eager to try the new snacks. And even if one of them isn’t quite ready for a taste test, Food For Thought is happy to have at least introduced the new foods to the students. “Even if they’re not willing to try them, they get to see them and learn what they are.” Food for Thought hopes they’ll be able to help youth develop good habits from a young age. And it’s not just nutrition they’re teaching.

Steve, Annie, and all of their fellow students hope their passion will spread to the youth in their program and encourage the youth to start thinking about what they’re passionate about and how they too can turn that into a reality. Food for Thought has made a tangible difference on the Hastings Elementary students. During a recent school outing, students were buying snacks – and they made sure to check the nutritional labels. They carefully went through the labels and noted how much sugar was in the snacks and just how unhealthy they were. Food for Thought has recently become an AMS club, and has also received a grant from the AMS. One of the main benefits of joining the AMS is that they can receive a not for profit number, which will be valuable as Food for Thought continues to grow. In April 2014, Steve was awarded the Edward JC Hossie Leadership Award. As one of three recipients of this year’s award, Steve was recognized for his outstanding involvement in student leadership activities. Steve, who is a yoga instructor and currently working on his second degree, is enjoying the direction his life is heading and sees no reason to rush the process. Even though it’s taken a bit longer for him to figure out what he wants to do, it has been worth it. In fact, it’s that time he took that led him to create Food For Thought.

---

Now, it’s largely because of working with Food for Thought that Steve sees where his future going. Steve hopes to continue working with Food for Thought and implement similar programs with the Vancouver School Board. With over a dozen members and growing, it would be easy to start delegating tasks to everyone. But for Steve and Annie, that’s not what makes a great leader: “Great leaders promote great leadership within other people.” Every student has their own strength – and Food for Thought wants to make sure they get a chance to explore it and become leaders themselves. Steve and Annie know it’s important to give their members enough support so that they can grow, but not so much structure that one person is delegating. It goes back to Steve’s original idea – Food for Thought is everyone’s project. Food for Thought hasn’t had an easy journey. Steve and Annie have written 40-page funding applications, only to be rejected. They’ve even had to contemplate putting their program on hiatus. But they learned to persevere. “All we need is volunteers who want to share information…This isn’t just about individuals going in and teaching nutrition. It’s about students finding their passions and bringing their strengths to the table.”We don’t need anything except people and passion.” Food for Thought has continued to grow their workshops. This summer, they expanded to their second school in West 1 – and it’s all thanks to connections they made earlier. Melissa Tang, their first contact at Templeton Community Schools Team, was able to help them expand their programming from Hastings Elementary to now include West 1 Community Schools. Partnering with West 1 is the perfect fit. The school was hoping Food For Thought could expand into the topics of sustainability, food security, and global food production – all topics that Food For Thought was already aiming to explore. Things have come full circle. Food for Thought has since returned to FNH 250 – this time to connect with new students. In the CBEL component of FNH 250, students are usually directly connected to a community partner. But last year, for the first time, FNH 250 students could be connected to a student-run group. By working with Food For Thought, Steve and Annie hope that new volunteers can focus on what’s truly important – how to effectively apply and spread their knowledge to youth in the community. Steve and Annie are excited for the future of Food for Thought. What began as a simple idea has spread throughout campus and the community, and they hope this will only continue to develop further. “We want to be connected to everywhere – connected to UBC faculty and students and the Vancouver community.” The entire process has been a new experience for the duo. They continue to learn through trial and error, and hope to solidify their volunteer system. As their network of leaders grows, they aim to set up more programs in more schools. They also hope Food For Thought will continue to be a space where leadership and creativity can grow. This summer, with the expansion into their second school, they’re looking for more creative and dedicated UBC students. From there, Food for Thought sees no real limit to possibilities.

---