Farm-Based Studies On the Rise – New Farmed Toolkit Can Help Schools Build Ag-Based Programs
April 3, 2024
Success Stories
April 3, 2024
Success Stories
Rayann Campmans, a Grade 12 student from Picture Butte High School, was inspired to create an agricultural program for her school. The program, which aimed to expose students to farm-based learning, gained popularity and drew 56 students this year. The school applied to the creation of the FarmEd Toolkit, Developed by the Rural Development Network, a farm-based learning guide, inspired by a successful school farm project at Altario School in north-central Alberta.
The Altario Agricultural Academy was launched in 2020, and its student-led farm is the hub of numerous learning activities. The farmyard facility houses livestock such as chickens, turkeys, geese, pigs, sheep, and cow-calf pairs. With $300,000 in funds from sources like the Prairie Land Public School Division, the school also recently added a modular, containerized hydroponic operation where students grow leafy greens.
Students in grades one through six act as farmhands, while those in grades seven to 12 assume leadership positions. Their agrarian projects are tied to career studies, and morning chores are followed as needed throughout the day. Students are encouraged to think of farming as a river, with its opposite banks representing educational value and sustainability.
“We really thought there would be opportunity there for other rural schools to implement similar experiential learning initiatives with school farms,” said Lisa Belanger, Rural Development CEO.
Funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Rural Development formed an advisory board and launched a pilot project to create the FarmEd Toolkit. They conducted focus groups with students and staff at Altario and a few other schools that expressed interest in farm programming. Picture Butte High School and Irvine School participated in 2022 as pilot project partners, shaping the final version of the Toolkit.
The FarmEd Toolkit now serves as a guide for communities and schools to invent their own farm-based learning initiatives.
The war in Ukraine has resulted in the largest human displacement crisis in the world today, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). To date, there are an estimated 5.9 million internally displaced people in Ukraine, nearly 8 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded in neighbouring countries and across Europe, and approximately 17.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance this year (UNHCR).
To help Ukrainian nationals and their family members find safety in Canada, the federal government launched the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program in March 2022, which is an accelerated temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians fleeing war. As of the end of May 2023, there were 157,885 individuals who arrived in the country under CUAET (Government of Canada), and 31,000 Ukrainians have registered with Alberta Health across 194 communities (Ukrainians in Alberta).
Recognizing that communities outside the seven major city centers in Alberta have limited resources, capacity and knowledge regarding the needs of Ukrainian evacuees, the Rural Development Network (RDN), together with Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative (MCHB) and Action for Healthy Communities (AHC), applied for funding from the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA) to address this need. The successful proposal’s, Increasing Community Understanding of Ukrainian Evacuees, goal was to build the capacity of rural communities to better support Ukrainian evacuees through the delivery of a virtual workshop series.
There were four workshops delivered in a span of four months – from February to May 2023. Each workshop was delivered virtually twice per month. Below is a summary of each workshop and what was covered.
In the first workshop, we discussed the extent and scope of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, the long-term impact the conflict has had on Ukrainians; federal and provincial government supports available for evacuees, and we provided a working understanding of the CUAET program. The session was led by Lori Shortreed, Consultant for MCHB.
“Thank you for putting together the series, always good to have more information to better serve clients.”
The second workshop, also led by Lori, focused on models of healthy integration and settlement of evacuees through social inclusion such as cultural brokering and contextual layers model, a framework for learning more about individuals and families who have come to Canada. Part of the discussion was looking at the protective and risk factors during the pre-migration and migration stages of the evacuees. At the end of the sessions, two cultural brokers from MCHB shared how they effectively support the settlement of Ukrainian newcomers.
“I learned new approaches and ideas for connecting our Ukrainian clients with the community in meaningful ways and better leveraging the support systems in our community more.”
In this workshop, Karin Linschoten, Training and Outreach Coordinator with the MCHB gave a thought-provoking discussion on the internal experience of someone fleeing war and the impact on behaviour and perception, how trauma develops, symptoms of trauma in adults and children, how to better communicate with and support trauma survivors, and strategies in supporting survivors in rural communities.
“I really enjoyed this workshop, it was easy to understand and helped me understand more about the brain’s function in trauma and then the practical elements of how to support someone. I will certainly use this in my work with clients.”
The last workshop was led by Lisa de Gara, Rural Small Centres Manager with the AHC. Points of discussion were:
“I have gotten so much information that I thought I knew but did not…and my best takeaway is the resources that I can provide to the Ukrainian clients to help them thrive in Canada.”
Our workshop series attracted a total of 143 individuals, with 85 attending at least one workshop. The project reached 23 communities across Alberta that included Banff, Brooks, Consort, Devon, Drumheller, Innisfail, Provost, Wainwright, and many more! Other Canadian provinces such as Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia were also represented by attendees. For those who attended these workshops, their places of work were typically in settlement organizations, learning centres, multicultural councils, public libraries, private colleges, different forms of governments, school divisions, legal clinics and other non-profits.
Overall, participants expressed their appreciation for the workshops prepared which have been helpful in understanding the Ukrainian evacuees’ experiences, needs and challenges to better support them in their communities. Our participants’ feedback is a testament that the delivery of the workshop series achieved its goal – building the capacity of all interested and affected parties to better understand the pre- and post-settlement realities of evacuees, a further understanding of the CUAET program, and cultural and trauma-informed education to successfully support the integration and settlement of Ukrainian evacuees across Alberta.
The project has been an incredible success thanks to the powerful partnership between RDN, MCHB and AHC. This collaboration truly exemplifies the importance of working together across different sectors. RDN’s expertise in rurality, MCHB’s expertise in community development, and AHC’s expertise in providing settlement services have synergized perfectly, allowing us to develop the workshop series through multiple lenses. Here are quotes that our partner organizations shared:
“As a professional working in rural settlement, I know that the needs of immigrants in small communities are frequently overlooked. When those immigrants are in crisis and a constantly changing environment, as was true for the Ukrainian arrivals through CUAET, the work becomes even more challenging! I was very thankful that RDN stepped up to the plate to offer coordination of workshops to teach about the new arrivals and how we can support them effectively in communities throughout Alberta and Canada at large.” – Lisa de Gara, Manager, Small Centres, Action for Healthy Communities.
“The Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative Ltd. are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the RDN and Action for Healthy Communities in this innovative project to engage with and bolster rural community efforts to support Ukrainian evacuees arriving in their communities. In this unprecedented situation, projects such as this help us all to collaborate in creating holistic approaches to settlement – and beyond – that truly meet evacuee and other newcomer needs and in doing so lay the ground for socially inclusive communities across Canada. Thank you!” – Lori Shortreed, Consultant for MCHB.
Again, we’d like to thank our funders – AAISA and the Government of Alberta as its funding partner, our partner organizations – MCHB and AHC, and all participants who took the time to attend the workshop series!
For more information on this project, please reach out to Elaine Flores at elainef@ruraldevelopment.ca.
In early June, the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, federal Minister of Rural Economic Development, organized and co-chaired a meeting on rural economic development, attended by federal, provincial, and territorial ministers, Indigenous leaders, and rural economic development experts. Delegates spent two days discussing how to improve rural and remote economic development policy and programming, with the goal to catalyze action to advance a path forward for rural economic development priorities in Canada on shared areas of importance.
The Rural Development Network’s CEO, Dee Ann Benard, participated in a panel designed to explore the key drivers for rural revitalization and economic opportunity from a community perspective, including identifying ways to seize economic growth through a variety of economic drivers such as tourism, infrastructure, housing, and supporting small to medium-sized enterprises.
Rural revitalization can be supported by: Improving data collection, supporting more holistic approaches to community development, building capacity, ensuring that there is municipal funding for implementation (not just planning), and allowing more flexibility and longer timelines to achieve goals.
A highlight of the FPT meeting was Minister Hutchings’ launch of the redesigned website, which will “guide rural Canadians to the programs, services and resources most relevant to them.”
Photo information: June 2, 2023, in Rocky Harbour, N.L. Hon. Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development (4th from the right), Dee Ann Benard, CEO of the Rural Development Network (2nd from the right), and Indigenous leaders, rural experts, and other Ministers.
Innovation is simply the understanding and knowledge that there is an efficient way of doing something – achieving a set task or goal. However, arriving at an innovative idea requires creative thinking, stepping outside the box, and oftentimes teamwork or partnership. But how can employers make sure they stay innovative?
Bob Bezpalko, the Executive Director of Alberta HUB has engaged over 20 students through the Rural Roots Initiative of the Rural Development Network.
He shares his insight on how work-integrated learning (WIL) supports innovative business solutions.
Work-integrated learning allows employers to outsource various aspects of a complex project. For instance, Bob’s organization had plans to establish a distribution location in Vegreville. However, the business needed an in-depth analysis of the viability of Vegreville as a suitable distribution centre to make informed decisions.
Through the WIL program, Bob outsourced this task to skilled post-secondary students in Canada. This gave Bob and other employees of Alberta HUB the capacity and time to focus on more complex aspects of the distribution project. Bob saw the value in working with students by leveraging their knowledge and skills.
“I believe WIL facilitates innovation. Our project required thinking outside the box and seeing the world as it is today, and defining trends that will change how business is done,” says Bob. He described his WIL experience as “very rewarding and successful.”
Engaging WIL students increases the capacity for success of any project. For innovation to thrive, employers must have a clear understanding of the complexity of their business challenges and provide student talent with the flexibility and space to bring innovative ideas forward. .
While working with Bob, WIL students creatively undertook an analysis of the relative industry, transportation and logistical opportunities, geographic and socioeconomic factors, and provided an extensive report that delivered the required outcomes.
“Our organization focuses on increasing wealth in our region which provides opportunities for our communities to grow. WIL provided the necessary capacity to gather information and formulate recommendations on best ways to proceed thus increasing the opportunity for success,” Bob explains.
These WIL students had research capabilities, skilled in marketing and human resource management to name a few. From his experience, Bob notes that while WIL students bring quality skill sets to any project, it is the responsibility of employers to provide all important information for a successful project.
Working with post-secondary students can help businesses develop strategies to meet their mandates. To achieve this, Bob says it is important for employers to “define the problem they are trying to solve” so students fully understand the expected deliverables.
“The students were very professional and showed great interest in executing the project. The result was an excellent report that detailed the required information and recommendations for the next steps in the short and long term.,” adds Bob.
Working with RDN’s WIL initiative also provided Bob with an insight into the future of Canada’s workforce. He urges more organizations to tap into the unlimited human resources WIL offers. “This program can help employers and organizations like Alberta HUB maintain operations and assist in developing a strategy to meet our mandates,” says Bob.
Post-secondary students across Canada are searching for opportunities to use their acquired skills in real-life situations to enhance their portfolios and resumes. Businesses have a chance to benefit from this pool of innovative and creative talent to meet their needs.
“[Rural Roots] program assists in developing a partnership with post-secondary institutions allowing the opportunity to address current and future labour needs,” Bob concludes.
Bob Bezpalko is the Executive Director of Alberta HUB. He began his career towards Economic Development in radio where he developed his communication and marketing skills. This gave Bob the opportunity to understand that the most important skill needed to communicate is “listening”.
Over the years he has gained extensive experience in project management, marketing, and strategic planning. He has a sincere passion for working with people in a team environment.
In his position as a regional economic development professional, Bob has had the opportunity to lead an alliance of municipalities, First Nations, Metis Settlements, colleges and business/industry to enhance the quality of life in his region. Working collaboratively with numerous other organizations and government departments has enhanced positive results.
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