We have been working hard to progress our project within our group and with our community partner. Initially, there was some uncertainty about the expectations for the project outcomes. However, through successful communication with Jessica (our community partner), our work has become more defined and comprehensive.

We have been able to set our objectives and achievements for this term and have a clear direction for our research and final products. We have finalized our project proposal and have discussed it in depth with Jessica and our TA.

Please check it out here if you would like to follow our journey and read about the goals and objectives of our project.

The main dimensions of food recovery system that we will focus on in our project.      

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency 

Our Weekly Objectives and Achievements to Date 

Week Objectives Achievements
3
  • Meet with our community partner for the first time and discuss goals and outcomes for the project
  • Met with our community partner and created a common vision and shaped the pathway for the project
  • Set preliminary deadlines to guide the work
4
  • Discuss and prepare proposal draft, section by section
  • Complete draft by February 1st
  • Prepared first draft in our tutorial session to be reviewed by our TA
  • Completed draft by January 29th
  • Presented our plan and discussed the project and proposal with our community partner
5
  • Make corrections to our project proposal based on TA’s feedback
  • Complete the project proposal by February 7th
  • Approval of project proposal by community partner
  • Completed project proposal by February 7th
  • Gained approval from our community partner on our project proposal
6
  • Conduct second meeting with community partner on February 14th with a focus on clarifying the project
  • Begin working on Objectives 1 and 2
  • Met with our community partner and clarified expected outcomes, shaped the project and deepened our understanding of the work
  • Divided project objectives among group members in order to research and complete tasks efficiently
7
  • Continue working on Objectives 1 and 2
  • Begin working on Blog Post 2
  • Progress on Objectives 1 and 2
  • Progress on Blog Post 2
8
  • Begin drafting Blog Post 2
  • Finalize Blog Post 2 by February 28th
  • Continue working on Objectives 1 and 2
  • Posted Blog Post 2 on February 28th  
  • Presented objective workings to our community partner who verified we were on the right track


Moment of Significance

What?

After the first meeting with our community partner, we all felt very excited to be working with Food mesh in contributing to reducing food waste in the Lower Mainland. We learned that, although we have enough food supply to feed the population, food insecurity is still a serious issue that needs to be solved. Food shortage has not been the main problem and our efforts should be focused on the efficacy and quality of commercial frameworks which include food production, distribution, and service (Gooch et al., 2014). In the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, housing and food insecurity is still a significant problem faced by people with lower incomes (Miewald and Ostry, 2014). Food waste redistribution has the potential to address issues of food insecurity in the Lower Mainland.

We all felt a higher level of knowledge concerning the goals and we made a few realistic objectives. That said, many of us had a difficult time wrapping our heads around and framing the project. After receiving the instructions, we discussed the project amongst ourselves and with our community partner to clarify what actions were to be taken and made sure our objectives met her expectations. This is an important aspect which allows every member in this project to learn about others’ intention and idea. Good and effective communication is associated with better decision making among a group (Roch, 2005). When making the timetable and action plan for the course assignments and the project objectives, we became stressed and anxious as we realized our time was very limited. We were very concerned that we would not be able to complete all the objectives we had decided upon with our community partner.

We expressed our worries to the TA, and she helped us map our project and pick out achievable objectives that we should focus on. We felt a bit scared to discuss our new plan with our community partner. We did not want to let our community partner down but felt it was important to produce quality work over quantity. Fortunately, she was very understanding and open to negotiate changes to the project. We ensured that our quantity and quality of work would still meet her objectives and that they would be achievable with our limited time frame.

So What?

Our community partner expressed to us that she had the intention of using our project outcomes on their Food Mesh Website and potentially for reference at the Vancouver Food Policy Council. We, therefore, want to make sure that our work is of quality and easy for the public as well as their potential clients to read. We tried to find data and resources from websites that are credible such as City of Vancouver and Statistics Canada. This would allow Food Mesh clients to have access to accurate information and make educated decisions regarding their food waste management.

We were uncomfortable discussing our time constraints and project achievability with our community partner as we all had little experience with project responsibility in a professional setting. We also were a bit intimidated by the power dynamics of our relationship with our community partner who is more experienced than us in carrying out projects of the type. That said we knew that it was important that we had the conversation. We remained respectful while communicating in order to minimize conflict and work effectively together.

Now What?

Although there are many things to do and several challenging objectives to complete, we still have confidence in our project journey and are excited to for the final outcomes. Every week, we check with our community partner (online or in person) to make sure that we are on the right track and using accurate and relevant data from credible sources. We also discuss our progress amongst our group and with our TA to resolve any issues, conflicts, confusion, and misunderstandings we may have encountered. To work efficiently within the time we have, we always divide the work which helps minimize stress and work amounts.

After we complete our individual sections, we sit together to discuss, edit and integrate all the parts ensuring that our work is of high quality. Also, completion before the deadline is a good habit that we have been able to maintain. This method gives us enough time to revise and edit our work and make necessary improvements. Due to the specificity of our project, we remain mindful that a lot of the data we are collecting and will be presenting may marginalize certain groups of people. We have not considered barriers to different groups such as race and class and gender issues to a large extent. This may result in our final outcomes offering only one narrow perspective on issues such as food security and reasons for food wastage. 

Upcoming Objectives and Achievement Strategies

Last week, at the meeting with our community partner, we discussed the outcomes of our research, giving it more shape and clarity. In the coming week, all of us will be spending our time doing in-depth research on food waste and food recovery.  We will be working separately at this stage to find the most information possible, before putting it all together to complete our objectives.

We will be finalizing a few things within the next week:

  • Objective 1: Produce comprehensive research on the scale of food waste in the Lower Mainland, presented through an infographic by March 5th
  • Objective 2: Produce a Food Recovery Ecosystem Map, showing the players and assets in the Lower Mainland, presented as an excel document and map by March 5th

In order to complete our objectives by the deadlines we set and produce high-quality work, our strategy was to divide the work within our group for Objective 1 and 2. Anne and Milly will be working on Objective 1, researching the scale of food waste in the Lower Mainland as well as creating an infographic for presenting the findings. Michelle, Vicki and Anita will be working on Objective 2, collecting a list of players in food recovery as well as creating a visual map.

We will share our research and resources gathered to ensure efficiency and consistency. We will also continue to maintain respect and communication with one another and our community partner in order to complete objectives collaboratively while meeting expectations.

Week Objectives Strategies
9
  • Complete Objectives 1 and 2 by March 5th
  • Present them to our community partner and TA
  • Correct Objectives 1 and 2 based on the feedback given by our community partner and TA
  • Begin work on Objective 3 and determine the best way to incorporate findings from Objectives 1 and 2
  • Do research online, make references
  • Revise and polish the outcomes of both objectives basing on suggestions from our community member and TA
  • Use secondary research from credible source
  • Discuss how to best incorporate Objectives 1 and 2 into Objective 3 with Jessica
10
  • Continue working on Objective 3
  • Use session notes to ensure our infographic accurately presents our findings for Objective 1
  • Do research online, make sure references are from credible sources
  • Use an online graphic tool to visualize and correct our infographic
11
  • Complete Objective 3 by March 19th
  • Present all outcomes to our community partner and TA for review
  • Finalize project and make any necessary corrections
  • Use Google Doc to complete objective 3 collectively
  • Revise our work based on comments from TA and community partner
12
  • Prepare for project presentation – poster printing and elevator pitch
  • Present our project and engage the audience
  • Use Word to design the poster
  • Visit Staples for poster printing
  • Practice at least 3 times before presenting
  • Divide our group into 2 branches: one presents our work and the other one visits other groups and point out questions
13
  • Generate project report to be submitted to our community partner and course instructors by April 8th
  • Use Google Doc to generate the report collectively
  • Proofread our report

 

References:

Gooch, M., Felfel, A., & Glasbey, C. Food Waste in Canada – $27 Billion Revisited. (2014)

Value Chain Management Center. Retrieved 29 January 2018, from http://vcm-international.com/new-report-annual-food-waste-in-canada-is-31-billion/

Miewald, C., & Ostry, A. (2014). A warm meal and a bed: Intersections of housing

and food security in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Housing Studies, 29(6), 709-729.

Roch, S. G., & Ayman, R. (2005). Group Decision Making and Perceived Decision Success: The Role of Communication Medium. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1), 15-31.