Educating tomorrow’s consumers
The Agriculture in the Classroom program is finding new ways to build youth’s awareness of where their food comes from.
It’s a fact that only a small percentage of Canadians live on a farm or ranch. It’s hardly surprising, then, that many have little or no appreciation of our country’s agriculture industry.
Rather than lament the state of Canadians’ agricultural knowledge, the Agriculture in the Classroom organizations are doing something positive about it. With the future squarely in mind, they’re focused on educating our youth.
“In general, kids have lost touch with their food and where it comes from,” says Johanne Ross, Executive Director of Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Manitoba, a non-profit charitable foundation. “We try to develop their appreciation for the safe, abundant food supply we enjoy.”
As its name suggests, reaching out to students in a school setting has long been part of the group’s mission. Ross explains that AITC Manitoba provides teaching tools and resources that are integrated with the curriculum. AITC teaching materials and programs must adhere to what Ross terms the ABC Principle: Accurate, Balanced and Current.
Come to the farm
In recent years, AITC Manitoba has invited students to get to know agriculture beyond the walls of the classroom. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The bigger part of what we do now is outreach,” says Ross, “such as experiential learning and hands-on activities at different grade levels,
including field tours, farm tours and industry tours. This is an area that has just exploded over the last five years.”
One such event, the Amazing Agriculture Adventure, is a hit with its target audience of Grade 4 & 5 students. Each year, this interactive field trip experience draws 500 students to Brandon and more than 1,000 to Winnipeg.
The Made in Manitoba Breakfast program brings a hot morning meal to schools across the province. From flax-based pancakes to eggs to milk, everything on the menu is grown in Manitoba. Farmers act as ambassadors at these events, helping students put a face and name to a meal they might
otherwise take for granted.
To Ross, it’s all about re-establishing a connection between the food on the table and the people who put it there.
“We need to think more about agriculture in our country,” she says, “and help today’s youth to become tomorrow’s informed consumers.”
RBC commits $30,000
RBC Royal Bank and its employees who serve agriculture clients in the province have been involved with AITC Manitoba over the past five years. Now, that relationship has been deepened and formalized. This past June, RBC Royal Bank signed a three-year, $30,000 funding agreement with the organization. The agreement also pledges the volunteer involvement of RBC people at events like the Made in Manitoba Breakfast program.
Terry Burgess, Brandon-based Regional Vice-President for RBC Royal Bank, sees the sponsorship as a natural fit for the bank, well aligned with national RBC sponsorships like 4-H.
“We recognize that, ultimately, agriculture is the catalyst for so much of what we do in Manitoba,” he says. “The key attraction for us is to be involved in both education and agriculture, developing brighter futures for our youth.”
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