Bringing Food Literacy into Education

By Marley Hearn, Youth Climate Corps of BC, Squamish

Sometimes the most meaningful learning doesn't happen behind a desk, it happens with your hands in the soil.

For one Squamish student, Cinnamon, enrolling in Farm Studies wasn't part of the plan. After transferring into the course to fill an elective, she quickly discovered a passion she never expected.

"I didn't think farm studies was something I'd ever wanted to do. But once I transferred in, I realized, ‘This is really fun. This is definitely my sort of thing.'"

Unlike traditional science classes, Cinnamon described how Farm Studies offered something different: the opportunity to be outside and learn in a real-world environment. Students in the class spent dedicated days working on the farm in every and any kind of weather, connecting classroom concepts to real-life food system experiences and opening up a new world of personal as well as environmental resilience. A majority of science classes in high school settings are lecture-based. Cinnamon explained how "With Farm Studies, you're learning about plants while standing beside them. That gives you a level of understanding you just don't get from a textbook."

The experience extended far beyond learning how to grow vegetables. It cultivated perseverance, leadership, and a deeper appreciation for where food comes from.

"When you buy tomatoes at the grocery store, you don't think about the months it took to grow them or the people who cultivated them. Working on the farm completely changed that perspective."

That new perspective inspired Cinnamon to stay involved with Squamish CAN after Farm studies ended. Her initial exposure inspired her to enroll in a Food and Community Leadership course two years later and to apply to her current summer farmhand position, where she continues cultivating her passions and learning about food literacy. 

Cinnamon shares how she also gained a deeper understanding of food security—an issue she had only vaguely understood before.

"As I grew through high school, I really started acknowledging these issues. Food is a basic necessity, and not everyone has equal access to it. I wanted to help close that gap, even in a small way."

Through Cinnamon's time working with Squamish CAN, she expressed developing a sense that supporting local food systems is about more than fresh produce. It's about strengthening communities, understanding how food is grown, and building resilience in a changing world.

"I think we need to prioritize our communities. When we support local farmers, we're supporting people who are giving back to our community, rather than relying entirely on large corporations."

This depth and perspective blossomed from giving youth a look into the world of food production and will be the foundation for building better localized food systems in the future. 

Cinnamon’s biggest takeaway? Farm Studies opens doors.

"Even if farming isn't your thing, the experience opens up a whole new world. It helps you understand food, sustainability, and your community on a much deeper level."

One of Squamish CAN’s missions is to bring food literacy into educational contexts. Through our work with elementary schools across town as well as the high school, youth have the opportunity to learn from and with the land. This foundation is expanded through hands-on learning courses, such as Food and Community Leadership and Farm Studies. Experiences like Cinnamon’s demonstrate what's possible when education moves beyond the classroom and into new realms of education. Students aren't just learning how food grows; they're given an opportunity to become thoughtful leaders who understand the connections between food, community, health, and climate. Those lessons have the potential to grow for a lifetime.

Marley Hearn is a Mobilizer for YCCBC Squamish.