Sprouting Chefs has been busy growing and cooking with school gardens at Burnaby Schools since2011. In February 2016 we planned our first ever annual fundraiser to help increase awareness and funding for our school garden programs. In order to make the event a success, I decided to take a huge leap of faith. The leap was in the form of a letter I wrote to invite a very special guest to attend and speak at our event. I included stories and full colour pictures of garden adventures with the students at the Forest Grove Elementary school. I knew the guest speaker would help increase awareness of Sprouting Chefs but most importantly, this speaker would captivate audiences and help promote our cause of helping children connect with nature via school gardens. The recipient of this letter was Dr. David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, and recognized world leader in sustainable ecology.
To my incredible astonishment and delight, I received a favourable response from Dr. Suzuki (as seen in the photos below). Since then, I’ve been asked many times “how did you manage to get David Suzuki to speak at your first event?”
I shared my answer when I spoke at the fundraising event. Quite simply, I spoke from my heart when I wrote my letter. I shared my story of how and why we created the school garden program at Forest Grove on Burnaby Mountain. I shared how I witnessed a student completely transformed by walking the school labyrinth the day we built it. I shared photos of my favourite moments….I shined a light back on all who have touched me in this journey–that light touched him so much he wanted to do what he could to support Sprouting Chefs.
And, as the saying goes, ‘the answer will always be no if you don’t ask.’
An important goal for our fundraiser was to allow the students to shine–to demonstrate their new talents and showcase everything they’ve learned through gardening and cooking classes. We were incredibly proud to see their sense of confidence and pride as they helped out with various tasks at the fundraising event.
I’ve been asked by Farm to School “what is one small step, one small activity schools might engage in to advance Farm to School connections?” I firmly believe that any conversation you have with kids–even if it’s just one student asking about where their food comes from, e.g. how it grows and where it’s grown–is a big, huge step forward. The children in the photo above are all kids I’ve had the opportunity to teach about food, life and growing. Our gardening and cooking activities also facilitate conversations about the importance of loving themselves, forgiving themselves and being compassionate towards themselves and others, even when things don’t seem to be going right. I admit this seems like a huge leap but when you have a garden growing at your school, no matter the size, it becomes a platform for these conversations and many more. As many of us know, gardens need patience, trust and love. We also know that sometimes plants and crops just don’t produce, or the animals get to them before we do but that’s when we learn about patience and forgiveness!
I believe one small step everyone can do is plan an activity where a group of students and invested members of the school and community come together to talk about their dreams for a school garden. Ask the students what THEY WANT TO GROW. Create activities where the kids can lead a discussion about why they eat what they eat. Find out what they would like to learn. These conversations can often shape and design your school garden program, engaging the students and allowing them to have a voice and platform too.
