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A survey was distributed to the young persons at the BGC after-school program. Here are the responses!

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This project addresses the critical issue of food insecurity, which impacts child development, mental stability, and daily experiences. Taking a Trauma-Informed Approach, it recognizes that food insecurity goes beyond food, emphasizing nutritious, culturally affirming meals while challenging discriminatory practices of food .

Within the Canadian context, the subgroup of children are vulnerable to food insecurity with evidence showing that 1 in 6 children deal with food insecurity (Kansanga, 2022). This project is worth doing due to the alarming number of children who deal with food insecurity in Canada, specifically in the Toronto area. Food insecurity is a result of socio-economic factors and therefore children from lower income families are more likely to deal with food insecurity (Kansanga, 2022).

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Yael, Allister, Angela, Kelly, Josh, & Raven

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We are the Meals Matter team and we work towards understanding the effects of food insecurity in different communities. Through a background in child and youth care, we work from perspectives which are youth centered, anti-oppressive and trauma informed.

We aim to find ways to prevent food insecurity, through the facilitation of after school programs and other recreational activities. Our program believes that food should be valued and not taken for granted. Our goal is not only to provide food to the youth that we work with but also educate them on the benefits of it as well.

In order to carry out our mission, we engage ourselves in research practices. Constantly educating ourselves allows for us to carefully understand the needs of children and youth.

Focus Question: How does food insecurity impact children's social and emotional well-being?

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Understand the impact food can have on the lives of children and youth

Create an impact with the message we share, when conducting a site visit

Take the voices of the youth back through a collection of input

Promote the idea of healthy eating through the provision of healthy food options.

To convey an understanding of how accessibility is important to remove barriers to participation

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(BGC Canada, n.d.)

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We have seen food programmings being effective in a young persons lives before. The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) is located across the GTA. Within each location BGC has a range of different programming. At BGC’s Dovercourt location, they have an Teaching Garden. This is a year-round program that is promotes sustainable living and environmental education. Young people enrolled in this program are inspired to talk about growing their own food, understand the importance of plants, and create sustainable communities (BGC Dovercourt Club, n.d.). They additionally have a Garden to Table program which allows participants to experiment with different ingredients to create recipes (BGC Dovercourt Club, n.d.). This is a hands-on experience and gives practical supports for food preparation that young people can integrate into their own lives.

Once this project is completed, one of the potential outcomes will be a deeper understanding of how food impacts the well-being of children and youth in various environments (i.e., school, residential, medical, community, etc). Not only, when young people recieive access to nutrious meals, they are better equipped to focus on tasks, experience fewer health issues, and develop healthy habits. Because our program and our partnership are situated within spaces affected by poverty, unemployment, incarceration (BGC Toronto Kiwanis., n.d.), for instance, we want to include ways for people to rethink food waste as a resource (Lazell, 2016).

As CYC practitioners, we also hope that the intended outcome for participants includes the development of practical life skills and self-sufficiency. Another potential product of this project is the development of best practices or guidelines for integrating food into child and youth programming. Furthermore, the project may lead to partnerships with community organizations that can continue to provide food-related programming, ensuring sustainability beyond the initial implementation.

The cost of afterschool programs varies depending on the school the young person attends. Prices can range from $17 per day to $40 for the entire year (BGC Toronto Kiwanis., n.d.). It is crucial to explore additional methods to make these programs more accessible, especially for those who are responsible for providing food and support to the children. This might include offering subsidies, government funding, adjusting schedules, or exploring community partnerships to reduce financial barriers.

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We are a group of university students, who are inspired by social innovation and believe that if change can happen, let it start with us.

Our initiative aims to encourage other people to get involved in their own communities. Us being able to go out into the community and connect with individuals who are so close to us is important as we believe that charity begins at home.

Many initiatives have come before us and we are inspired by the work that they do. Programs such as Meals on Wheels, can provide food at an affordable price for individuals with disabilities, suffering from illness or those who need special dietary planning. This initiative truly has inspired us, and we hope to be able to elevate our initiative to the extent where we can financially support programs to provide food with meaningful intent behind it. We also took inspiration from the Covenant House. In regards to research the Covenant House can be seen to conduct research at ground level, in order to ensure that their practices are ethical and practical to the population they are working amongst. Their advocacy efforts work at all levels of government have been able to push important issues forward and create an impact on the lives of many youth.

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The project we have created, focuses on community outreach and provision of needs for children and youth. Each member on our team is a passionate children's rights advocate who believes that children's needs should be met in all environments they are in. Our team will be working at multiple sites with youth and our aim is to grasp an understanding of what food means to them. Through preparing the snack for the children, we hope to be able to connect with them and build relationships through the food provided. Our project aims not only to feed the youth but also to for ourselves to grasp an understanding on what they know about the importance of food. As child and youth care practitioners we wear many hats and educating is one of them.Being able to access a site with youth will give us the ability to take away evidence of how food benefits recreational programming and how it can foster a sense of safety and connection for youth.

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The project will highlight the 25 Characteristics of Relational Practice in Child and Youth Care:

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The project will highlight the 25 Characteristics of Relational Practice in Child and Youth Care:

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Self-Awareness: Recognizing our own biases and assumptions about food insecurity helps to shape our interactions with young people

Curating Relationships: Building trust with children, families, educators, and community members to create supportive environments where food can be shared without stigma or shame

Anti-Oppressive Practice: Acknowledging and addressing systemic barriers that disproportionately affect marginalized groups, particularly those coming from low-income and racialized communities (Garfet et al, 2018).

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(BGC Canada, n.d.).

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By integrating these principles into the project’s framework, we can create a more just and sustainable solution to food insecurity – one that not only meets the immediate nutritional needs of children, while promoting respect and empowerment.

This initiative aims to transform after-school programs into inclusive spaces where food security is prioritized, nutritional diversity is embraced, and children can thrive without the barriers of exclusion or hunger.

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BGC Toronto Kiwanis After School Program supports elementary-aged students in the Toronto community. This program provides daily after-school programming for students. These programs include sports activities, arts and crafts, homework clubs and support, and daily food programs (BGC Toronto Kiwanis, n.d.)

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BGC aims to create a supportive, safe and encouraging environment where students can build healthy relationships, and confidence, and feel a a sense of belonging in the community (BGC Toronto Kiwanis, n.d.)

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Food studies uses a “systems” perspective that looks at the relationships and patterns surrounding food while exploring food itself (Speakman et al., 2021). Within food studies, it is suggested that four key lenses define critical food studies. These lenses encompass the various spaces and places where individuals engage with food–whether through its production, acquisition, consumption, talking about, and the ways people think about food (Speakman et al., 2021).

Many factors are known to determine our food choices. Chi (2019) highlights several lessons on food and culture. These include

Food is socially constructed

Food from its preparation and consumption is an essential symbol of culture and identity

Food conveys meaning

Food evokes memory

The success of the marketing strategy which is based on appeal of authenticity regarding “real” culture has to do with the rise in popularity of ethnic food among middle-class Americans

Just as there are different groups and types of dinners, the market of ethnic restaurants is also variegated into niches within one single ethnic category

Territory or place provides a physical conduit between food and culture by conveying notions of origin and source

Food choices are not simply a function of culture writ large, but rather are a product of structural factors that affect accessibility and availability

Food in the form of iconic dishes has become a form of nation branding–government technique to articulate a country's distinctive and collective national identity

A closer examination of cosmopolitan ideals of food reveals that pre-determinations of celebration and bliss perhaps misleading and misconstrued

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A big aspect of their program is their daily nutrition programs (BGC Toronto Kiwanis, n.d.) where they both provide daily nutritious meals to students, prepared by staff. BGC provides all their students with daily meals/snacks. This program aims to eliminate any barriers that make it challenging for some students to access food, further providing all students with equal access to the daily snacks prepared by staff.

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Factors such as families' educational levels, household incomes, and family dynamics can impact a family's nutritional status and access to food. Healthy food choices are closely impacted by one's socioeconomic status, and lack of access can further impact students both in and outside of school. This program recognizes the importance of tackling this challenge and eliminating this barrier, further ensuring all students have food as fuel for their bodies (Shen et al., 2021).

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(BGC Canada, n.d.).

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Nutrition is a foundation for both learning and one's ability to have stable emotional and social well-being. Food helps students regulate their mood, and focus in school further fueling their minds, and giving them the energy to participate in activities. This can enhance their relationships, and interactions, allowing them to benefit from the resources and suports from BGC (The City of Toronto, 2013).

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BGC engages students through weekly cooking 'classes', where they are given leadership opportunities to help with food preparation. This enhances their food preparation skills, understanding of nutrition, and healthy habits, allowing them to build lifelong skills (BGC Toronto Kiwanis, n.d.).

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We work alongside the Boys and Girls Club across multiple locations which are located in the Greater Toronto Area.

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(TMU, 2022)

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BGC Canada. (n.d.). https://www.bgccan.com/en/

BGC Toronto Kiwanis. (n.d.) 2024/2025 program. BGC Toronto Kiwanis. https://www.bgctk.org/

BGC Dovercourt Club. (n.d.) Dovercourt Teaching Garden - BGC Dovercourt Club. https://bgcdovercourt.com/dovercourt-teaching-garden/

Br24. (2021). The Art of Food Photography. https://br24.com/en/the-art-of-food-photography/

Chi, J.K.G. (2019). Chapter 2: Food, culture, and identity. In J. Konefal & M. Hatanaka (Eds.), Twenty lessons in the sociology of food and agriculture (pp. 21-37). Oxford University Press.

Covenant House Toronto. (n.d.). About us. https://covenanthousetoronto.ca/our-impact/

Garfat, T., Freeman, J., Gharabaghi, K., & Fulcher, F. (2018). Characteristics of a relational child and youth care approach. CYC-Online, (236), 34-35 https://cyc-net.org/cyc-online/oct2018.pdf

iStock by Getty Images. (n.d.). Vegetables and fruits character collection stock illustration.

https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/vegetables-and-fruits-character-collection-gm1062342358-284017914

Kansanga, M. M. (2022). ‘Hunger in early life’: exploring the prevalence and correlates of child food insecurity in Canada. Agriculture & Food Security, 11(1)https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-022-00371-8

Lazell, J. (2016). Consumer food waste behaviour in universities: Sharing as a means of prevention. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 15(5), 430–439. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1581

Meals on Wheels Ontario. (n.d.). What we do. https://www.mealsonwheels.ca/what-we-do#ABOUTMEALSONWHEEL

Orta-Aleman, D., Zuercher, M. D., Bacon, K. A., Chelius, C., Hecht, C. E., Hecht, K., Ritchie, L. D., Cohen, J. F. W., & Gosliner, W. (2024). Students’ perspectives on the benefits and challenges of universal school meals related to food accessibility, stigma, participation, and waste. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 56(9), 599–610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2024.04.011

Padlet (n.d.). Transportation. [Image]. https://v1.padlet.pics/1/image.webp?t=c_limit%2Cdpr_2%2Ch_834%2Cw_1112&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpadlet-artifacts.storage.googleapis.com%2Fd0df7352b430a604a4041ef4

Public Health Ontario. (2024). Food Insecurity Among Children Using Data From the Canadian Health Survey of Children and Youth. Enhanced Epidemiological Summary, 4th Edition. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/C/2023/food-insecurity-children-youth-canada-survey.pdf?rev=5253cf07c77d47abacdb77059bd9cfc6&sc_lang=en

Shen, P.-Y., Lo, Y.-T. C., Chilinda, Z. B., & Huang, Y.-C. (2021). After-school nutrition education programme improves eating behaviour in economically disadvantaged adolescents. Public Health Nutrition, 24(7), 1927–1933. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020004218

Speakman, K., Bancerz, M., & Koç, M. (2022). Chapter 1: Finding food studies. In M., Koç, J. Sumner, & A. Winson (Eds.), Critical perspectives in Food Studies (3rd ed., pp. 3-17). Oxford University Press.

The City of Toronto. (2013, February 8). Student Nutrition Programs in Toronto. [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdUAsIauNrY&list=PL159C04EEE11E62AA&index=11

Toronto Metropolitan University (2022).TMU Mobile.https://www.torontomu.ca/tmumobile/

Toucan. (n.d.). Timeline-what is it. https://www.toucantoco.com/en/glossary/timeline.html

Van Lenthe, F.,J., Jansen, T., & Kamphuis, C. B. M. (2015). Understanding socio-economic inequalities in food choice behaviour: can Maslow's pyramid help? The British Journal of Nutrition, 113(7), 1139-1147. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515000288

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The Reading and Thinking Circle’s gave us insight into our positionality as child and youth care practitioners and the social and emotional impacts that affect children and youth. Through discussions from the Reading and Thinking Circles, the readings allowed us to reflect on the needs of children and youth in our communities and pick a project to help children and youth who are struggling both socially and emotionally. In efforts to help social and emotional well-being among youth, Noble-Carr et al., (2014) stated that of the 5 domains which are central to positive identity, participating and contributing back to the community is something that our group wanted to focus on as a mean to lead by example and demonstrate leadership among youth. With forefronting this initiative, what we aim to achieve through our ‘Do Something’ project is to ensure children and youth feel cared for (Noble-Carr et al., 2014) by being provided healthy snacks and drinks during after school programs.

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This project aims to address food insecurity and support children within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) by promoting access to healthy snack programs in after-school settings. Many children rely on these programs as a vital source of food, and for some, as the only access to nutritious sustenance in their day.

In 2019, 15.3% of Ontario children (ages 1-17) experienced food insecurity within their households; of that, 2.9% of cases were considered at a severely low level (Public Health Ontario, 2024). Through collaboration with community organizations, schools, and local food businesses, this project advocates for sustainable food programs and implementing strategies that promote nutritional education.

In Canada, 1 in 6 children deal with food insecurity within the Toronto area.

This project is essential due to the alarming number of children, especially those of lower-income families who are disproportionately impacted. The issue of food insecurity highlights the need for interventions and support young people of marginalized communities.

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We are a team of Child and Youth Care Practitioners committed to providing support, guidance, and care to young people in the community. We are dedicated to ensuring all young people have access to food programs and resources to support their well being.

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We have seen food programmings being effective in a young persons lives before. The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) is located across the GTA. Within each location BGC has a range of different programming. At BGC’s Dovercourt location, they have an Teaching Garden. This is a year-round program that is promotes sustainable living and environmental education. Young people enrolled in this program are inspired to talk about growing their own food, understand the importance of plants, and create sustainable communities (BGC Dovercourt Club, n.d.). They additionally have a Garden to Table program which allows participants to experiment with different ingredients to create recipes (BGC Dovercourt Club, n.d.). This is a hands-on experience and gives practical supports for food preparation that young people can integrate into their own lives.

Once this project is completed, one of the potential outcomes will be a deeper understanding of how food impacts the well-being of children and youth in various environments (i.e., school, residential, medical, community, etc). Not only, when young people recieive access to nutrious meals, they are better equipped to focus on tasks, experience fewer health issues, and develop healthy habits. Because our program and our partnership are situated within spaces affected by poverty, unemployment, incarceration (BGC Toronto Kiwanis., n.d.), for instance, we want to include ways for people to rethink food waste as a resource (Lazell, 2016).

As CYC practitioners, we also hope that the intended outcome for participants includes the development of practical life skills and self-sufficiency. Another potential product of this project is the development of best practices or guidelines for integrating food into child and youth programming. Furthermore, the project may lead to partnerships with community organizations that can continue to provide food-related programming, ensuring sustainability beyond the initial implementation.

The cost of afterschool programs varies depending on the school the young person attends. Prices can range from $17 per day to $40 for the entire year (BGC Toronto Kiwanis., n.d.). It is crucial to explore additional methods to make these programs more accessible, especially for those who are responsible for providing food and support to the children. This might include offering subsidies, government funding, adjusting schedules, or exploring community partnerships to reduce financial barriers.

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If you would like also to volunteer check out the following information!

Rose Avenue Public School Club

Our Rose Avenue Public School Club is located within Rose Avenue Public School. After-school program is only available to members attending Rose Avenue Public School.

Rose Avenue Front Desk – Receptionist available (2:00 PM – 6:30 PM)
roseavenue@bgctk.org | 416-925-2243 ext.50

Mona Khan
Coordinator – Rose Avenue Public School Club
mona@bgctk.org

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BGC Toronto Kiwanis | Opportunity Changes Everything.

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After-School Programs | BGC Toronto Kiwanis