Season 3, Episode 4: Food Waste

In this episode we discuss some of the takeaways from the third session of the Youth Food Literacy Initiative. In this session we attended a food waste workshop hosted by Elora from the Compost Education Centre where we learned all about the basics of composting and food waste, as well as an eye opening discussion on the reality of food waste processing here on Vancouver Island.

Season 3, Episode 3: Food Preparation

In this episode we talked about the Cooking Class that Saraf led in partnership with Lee from Mosaic Tastes. In this workshop we made Aloo Bhorta, Tomato Dahl, chocolate dipped phyllo sticks, and coconut and tahini phyllo pastry. This workshop was a really fun chance to make and share some delicious Bangladeshi and Middle Eastern dishes. In the episode we talk about our experiences at the cooking workshop and dove into each of our relationships with preparing and sharing cultural foods.

Season 3, Episode 2: Food Production

In this episode of Season 3, Saraf and Jewel tell us about the farm tour with Alex and Ardeo. They discuss some of the things they learned and loved about a day on the farm. This was the first youth workshop series of the ‘Youth Food Literacy Initiative’. This episode covers some of the major takeaways that Saraf and Jewel had from the workshop, challenges they faced, and the impact this program had had on youth and the food community.

Season 3, Episode 1: Welcome back to Sprouting Conversations with Saraf and Jewel!

Welcome back to Sprouting Conversations, hosted by Alistair and the new Youth Coordinators, Saraf and Jewel!

In the first episode of Season 3, we introduce Saraf and Jewel to CRFAIR and mention some of the major themes that arose while Saraf hosted her very first youth workshop series, the ‘Youth Food Literacy Initiative’. This episode covers some of the goals that Saraf had while developing the program, challenges she faced, and the impact this program has had on youth and the food community.

Please stay tuned for detailed coverage on each specific session of the Youth Food Initiative, and enjoy listening!

Season 2, Episode 3: A Conversation with Em

This episode was recorded on the unceded Territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən Speaking Peoples, the W̱SÁNEĆ and the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. These Lands that we all continue to learn from would not exist in the ways that they do today without the care from uncountable generations that have maintained their relationships with the Land from time immemorial and forever more.In our third episode, we talk with Emma about complex and shifting relationships with food, the spaces where we connect with food and the land, and about how some of the sessions at the Good Food Gathering have influenced them! We talk about our shared upbringings in Ontario and the gaps in food education and accessibility that we have seen between these places.Take the next half hour to connect with food and the land and I really hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Season 2, Episode 2: A Conversation with Christina

This episode was recorded on the unceded Territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən Speaking Peoples, the W̱SÁNEĆ and the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. These Lands that we all continue to learn from would not exist in the ways that they do today without the care from uncountable generations that have maintained their relationships with the Land from time immemorial and forever more.

In our second episode, we talk with Christina about how some of the sessions at the Good Food Gathering landed with her and some of the important take aways she gained from it! We talk about our own upbringings in Ontario and the gaps in our food education growing up, the trials and tribulations of growing your own food, and how Christina intends to bring some of that knowledge back into the classroom in her future role as a teacher.

Season 2, Episode 1: Welcome back to Sprouting Conversations

In this first episode of Season 2, we will be introducing some of the major themes and you can get to know our new host, Alistair (he/him)! In this season of the Sprouting Conversation’s podcast, we will be exploring the theme of Listening to the Land through conversations with guest hosts. The first couple episodes will feature youth who attended the 2021 Good Food Gathering, as well as some other guest speakers who are doing land-based and food-based work in our communities. In this episode, Alistair talks about his connection to land and food growing up and how it has shaped his relationships today. He talks about what listening to the land means to him and how it has informed his understanding of his duties as a settler located on unceded Lekwungen, WSANEC, Songhees, and Esquimalt territory. Stay tuned for upcoming episode releases! We’re really looking forward to sharing them with you!

Episode 10: Dreaming Our Food's Future (Season Finale)

It is unbelievable that it has already been a year since this podcast project started. This project was started, by request of youth in the Youth Food Network, and since releasing the first episode, the podcast has had 3, 033 listeners. There have been 12 guests on the podcast and besides myself, there have been 4 other youth interviewers.

To end this year of wonderful conversations, I collected all the responses to the final question asked in each episode- what do we want our food's future to look like? This episode is so magical, and it reminded me about how much insight was shared in all the episodes. THANK YOU to everyone that helped make this podcast happen!

Episode 9: A Conversation with Syd

Hannah and Lajah host this episode and chat with Syd, a queer white settler and a site manager at the University of Victoria's Campus Community Garden. In this conversation, we explore many nuanced questions related to the complicated reality of growing food as a settler on stolen Indigenous lands. We discuss ideas such as collective healing through working with plants, learning to relate differently with the land and with each other, creating safer and more accessible community garden spaces, and re-framing food as a collective resource.

Episode 7: A Conversation with Curbside Farms

Paula hosts this episode, and chats with Eric and Nelson from Curbside Farms - a cooperative non-profit organization that aims to create a robust local agricultural system on Vancouver Island. The conversation focuses on the current work of the organization, how to change our food system, and why developing a relationship with the land is crucial to creating a more equitable and sustainable society. Thank-you to Hallie for all of her technological support!

Episode 6: A Conversation with Megan

Elora hosts this episode, and chats with Megan, a friend who has spent a lot of time organizing around food waste, and redistribution. The conversation focuses on food waste and its intersection with capitalism, and how we can work towards food sovereignty and justice in the long term, without sacrificing our communities immediate needs in the short term.

Ep. 4: A Conversation with Hannah - Capitalism, barriers in growing and accessing food, and more!

How does capitalism, land access, and connection impact our food system?

What happens when two storytellers sit down together? We record a 1hr and 30 minute podcast about food! In this episode, we chat with Hannah, who is a summer student/ intern at the Compost Education Centre. She is helping with maintaining the on-site gardens and compost systems, while also developing an online learning module for high school students called ‘Rethinking Sustainable Living’ which will be launched in September. In this conversation, we explore what her work has been like at the Centre, barriers that young people face in growing their own food, and her work with the UVIC Community Cabbage. 

Episode 3: A Conversation with Jasmine

In this conversation, we talk about Privilege, relationship with land, social permaculture, anti-oppression and food localization, worldviews, and great book recommendations. 

Jasmine works as a content creator for the Fub. After traveling around for a few years doing tree planting, Jasmine decided to get her Permaculture Design Certificate. She has also been studying sustainability for a year now which has led her into the food network. Jasmine is interested in a whole systems approach, learning the interconnectedness of everything on this planet, from the micro to the macro. She has a strong focus on social justice issues and her mission right now is opening people's eyes to the fundamental challenges that we are all facing as a planet and what are some solutions.

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Episode 2: River Restoration in Pacheedaht First Nation with Trystan and Sophie

In this episode, we connect with Trystan and Sophie about their river restoration work in Pacheedaht First Nation. This project promotes restoration, protection and maintenance of healthy and diverse salmon populations and their habitats.They work by monitoring & sampling & weighing juvenile salmon using hands on methods of pull seining and beach seining.This work happens in the Northern Arm of the San Juan Estuary in the Pacheedaht First Nation Territory.It is being done to monitor sockeye, chum, and coho salmon habitats and their life migrational roots with awareness to the impacts that colonization has had on the land. They do this work alongside the Elected Chief and the Fisheries Manager  of Pacheedaht First Nations. This work is happening during the late spring and early summer months where we were able to see the salmon berries blossoming from pink flowers to juicy berries.