New Initiatives

• Growing Food Security in Alberta – 2003 ongoing (www.foodsecurityalberta.ca)

Susan and Angie continue to work on the very exciting project- Growing Food Security in Alberta, a vision of the Alberta Provincial Nutritionists, sponsored by Dietitians of Canada and financed through the Health Canada Population Health Fund.
The main goal of the project is to create a dynamic network across Alberta that will support ongoing activity in Food Security by:

• supporting positive activities that reduce food insecurity

• promoting communication, collaboration and awareness across the province

• encouraging processes that will find the solutions.

The project has a Steering Committee leading the way. The Members are from across Alberta and from the various aspects of food and food security; nutrition, education, farming, policy, parents, social work, etc. This exciting group has created a web site. The Steering Committee hopes the project will ensure everyone in Alberta will understand food security and what can be done to ensure everyone has access to choices about healthy food, in a culturally sensitive way using a sustainable healthy food system. Have a look at the website, join the network and contribute to the list serves and forums.

GFSA was proud to be a supporter and key organizer for a very successful provincial conference held in Edmonton on January 29-31 2009 titled Food: Today Tomorrow Together (www.foodalberta.org  2008- present. www.foodsecurityalberta.ca

• ACE communities - 2008 and ongoing (www.acecommunities.ca)

Susan and Angie are involved in an exciting Alberta initiative with ARPA called ACE communities and are providing community development coaching with the 6 northern Alberta communities of High Level, Paddle Prairie, Hinton, Wood Buffalo, Sangudo and Whitecourt.   

• Capacity Building for Food Security through Mentoring - 2004-2007 (with ongoing involvement in research) www.foodthoughtful.ca

Susan and Angie were the project coordinators for the CAPC/CPNP National Project Fund initiative titled Building Capacity for Food Security through Mentoring.
The Capacity Building for Food Security through Mentoring project was guided by an eleven-member Advisory Committee of CAPC/CPNP staff, called Food Security Mentors, from across Canada. These Mentors developed a training process to use with the 'Thought about Food' workbook and its accompanying facilitator guide. The mentors also  guided the development of a new video to be used with the training. The mentors will be encouraged to help others in their region effectively use these national resources.

Objectives of this project were to utilize participatory approaches in:

• Providing opportunities for learning and mentoring to enhance the capacities of FSMs related to their role in building food security

• Producing a video that will complement the national resources entitled "Thought About Food: A Workbook on Food Security and Influencing Policy" and the accompanying Facilitator's Guide

• Planning, implementing and evaluating a National Training Workshop in Halifax for FSMs utilizing the national resources

• Evaluating the utility of the national resources (i.e., "Thought About Food" Workbook, Facilitator's Guide, and training video) used by the FSMs

• Examining the barriers and enablers in the participatory approaches used by the project

• Identifying "next steps" for CAPC/CPNP to assume a leadership role in addressing food security in Canada

• Edmonton People with Developmental Disabilities (EPDD)

Susan helped guide the evaluation of the Community Capacity Building initiative happening in the Edmonton Region. Using the input and participation of many, the "Doer" group created a tool box of evaluation for the region.

• Healthy Eating Is In Store For You™"

Susan was the National Coordinator for the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) and Dietitians of Canada (DC) initiative called "Healthy Eating Is In Store For You™", a nutritional labeling education initiative. Check out the new website at www.healthyeatingisinstore.ca