Sarah Khalid - My Blog
Related to country: Canada
Why
I believe that all people have a right to healthy, appropriate, safe and environmentally-sustainable food.
I believe that the food choices we make in the developed world not only effects personal health, but the global population and planet health at large.
I believe it is important and empowering for people to be food literate; it is important for these opportunities to exist.
I believe food has an incredible capacity to transform the way we feel about ourselves, and create social bonds.
I believe food connects us all.
I also believe that our dwindling relationship with good food has exacerbated, if not led to, several ills facing the world today. Yet I believe this can change.
Mississauga relies on a food system that is unsustainable, has huge disparities, comes at a cost to public health, and misconstrues the notion of real food. Mississauga’s suburban nature also lends to inactive/disengaged lifestyles. In the Region of Peel, in which Mississauga is the largest municipality, almost 10,000 citizens used food banks in March 2009 (HungerCount 2009). Cases of diabetes and obesity are steadily increasing (Region of Peel Public Health, 2008). Environmentally, food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 6.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2003 (Statistics Canada). The ecological footprint of the average Peel resident is 7.38ha (the sixth largest in Canada); energy and food are the two largest components (Region of Peel Planning Department, 2004).
These statistics demonstrate the need for food that is accessible, healthy, and produced in sustainable ways that engages consumers. Backyard, organic vegetable gardens can help meet this need. They are accessible, 24/7 ‘working landscapes’ that provide nutritious food and carbon and stormwater storage. Maintaining these gardens in a group develops a sense of community, a deeper relationship to nature and an understanding of food. Converting unproductive spaces into food-based spaces is a step towards the need for a self-sufficient, engaged and healthier Mississauga.
Link to our photo albums from the pilot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52311046@N05/sets/
I believe that all people have a right to healthy, appropriate, safe and environmentally-sustainable food.
I believe that the food choices we make in the developed world not only effects personal health, but the global population and planet health at large.
I believe it is important and empowering for people to be food literate; it is important for these opportunities to exist.
I believe food has an incredible capacity to transform the way we feel about ourselves, and create social bonds.
I believe food connects us all.
I also believe that our dwindling relationship with good food has exacerbated, if not led to, several ills facing the world today. Yet I believe this can change.
Mississauga relies on a food system that is unsustainable, has huge disparities, comes at a cost to public health, and misconstrues the notion of real food. Mississauga’s suburban nature also lends to inactive/disengaged lifestyles. In the Region of Peel, in which Mississauga is the largest municipality, almost 10,000 citizens used food banks in March 2009 (HungerCount 2009). Cases of diabetes and obesity are steadily increasing (Region of Peel Public Health, 2008). Environmentally, food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 6.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2003 (Statistics Canada). The ecological footprint of the average Peel resident is 7.38ha (the sixth largest in Canada); energy and food are the two largest components (Region of Peel Planning Department, 2004).
These statistics demonstrate the need for food that is accessible, healthy, and produced in sustainable ways that engages consumers. Backyard, organic vegetable gardens can help meet this need. They are accessible, 24/7 ‘working landscapes’ that provide nutritious food and carbon and stormwater storage. Maintaining these gardens in a group develops a sense of community, a deeper relationship to nature and an understanding of food. Converting unproductive spaces into food-based spaces is a step towards the need for a self-sufficient, engaged and healthier Mississauga.
Link to our photo albums from the pilot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52311046@N05/sets/
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Related to country: Canada
I would rate our current financial management and financial literacy in our organization right now as fairly low, as we have run our past three projects with very little external funding, or with all expenses covered by a third party. Our pilot YSG program in 2010 was more of a learning curve in terms of getting to know community members and understanding gardening basics.
YSG 2011 this year is an opportunity to become more financially literate. I’ve established a team with different skill sets, have delegated tasks, and we are on the verge of starting to turn those into actions (some action items are to connect with and secure funds from community business sponsors). We have secured about 15% of our ideal budget.
However, just today, I learned of a potential opportunity to partner with a strong, existing community organization called the Rotaract Club of Mississauga. Things are still on the table, but the gist of their offer is that: in exchange for covering our costs (and perpetually doing so in later years), access to their large networks, and capable people that can continue the project after I leave, the project will have to become duly branded and has to be 100% voluntary (no one can get paid). This changes the financial structure of the YSG program, as applying for other grants and raising funds for wages and honorariums would no longer be required.
I have emailed team and board members and am waiting to hear back from them to discuss this issue in moving the project forward. It puts our project at a standstill as well, as whether or not our outreach material needs to have their name/logo on it.
YSG 2011 this year is an opportunity to become more financially literate. I’ve established a team with different skill sets, have delegated tasks, and we are on the verge of starting to turn those into actions (some action items are to connect with and secure funds from community business sponsors). We have secured about 15% of our ideal budget.
However, just today, I learned of a potential opportunity to partner with a strong, existing community organization called the Rotaract Club of Mississauga. Things are still on the table, but the gist of their offer is that: in exchange for covering our costs (and perpetually doing so in later years), access to their large networks, and capable people that can continue the project after I leave, the project will have to become duly branded and has to be 100% voluntary (no one can get paid). This changes the financial structure of the YSG program, as applying for other grants and raising funds for wages and honorariums would no longer be required.
I have emailed team and board members and am waiting to hear back from them to discuss this issue in moving the project forward. It puts our project at a standstill as well, as whether or not our outreach material needs to have their name/logo on it.
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available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic It’s important to fundraise for some of the project costs because it a) helps strengthen feelings of ownership and personal investment into the project (thus motivating the success of the project) and b) helps expose your face and name in the community.
The project, for the first year (“Community Consultation Phase”) will need out-of-pocket funding and in-kind donations, plus volunteer time.
The project, for the first year, will need approximately CAD$2000. The majority of this is for printing and mailing expenses.
Funding sources, aside from individuals are organizations that encourage environmental and social entrepreneurship by youth. Some of these organizations are: Idealist.org, Imagine Canada, and those in the Canadian Donors Guide and CharityVillage.com.
I think some barriers to secure funding might be the fact that it is simply a group of community individuals, primarily myself, running this in the first year. This may not give people/organizations too much confidence in investing a large sum of money into it.
Not sure yet how to overcome this barrier, aside from teaming up with an established charity who supports the goals of the project.
The project, for the first year (“Community Consultation Phase”) will need out-of-pocket funding and in-kind donations, plus volunteer time.
The project, for the first year, will need approximately CAD$2000. The majority of this is for printing and mailing expenses.
Funding sources, aside from individuals are organizations that encourage environmental and social entrepreneurship by youth. Some of these organizations are: Idealist.org, Imagine Canada, and those in the Canadian Donors Guide and CharityVillage.com.
I think some barriers to secure funding might be the fact that it is simply a group of community individuals, primarily myself, running this in the first year. This may not give people/organizations too much confidence in investing a large sum of money into it.
Not sure yet how to overcome this barrier, aside from teaming up with an established charity who supports the goals of the project.
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