Taking Youth Engagement To The Next Generation: Lessons From Best Youth Engagement Practices Toward Food Sustainability

Daniel Hoang

doi:10.32920/ryerson.14647191.v1

Abstract

Food is one of life’s most basic necessities. Yet the problems of our food system are becoming increasingly worse: global food security is in jeopardy, health related diseases are epidemic, and generations are increasingly disconnected from their food. The youth population, in particular, is largely missing from the food engagement and decision--making process. Yet it is this group that will inherit the problems of the food system, and constitute the next generation of eaters, policy--makers, and planners. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining ways to improve youth engagement in food sustainability by making it more widespread, meaningful and effective. Using a scan and analysis of best practice research, this paper offers recommendations –including cases, tools, principles and techniques – for stakeholders (such as NGOs, local governments and municipal planners) to improve their youth engagement strategies in food sustainability.

Highlights

With the current lack of attention paid to this youth group, a large gap exists around understanding the best practices for mobilizing and engaging this group in food sustainability practices
The objective of this paper was to utilize a best practice review to address the issue of youth engagement in food sustainability
With the current lack of attention paid to this segment of the population, a large gap exists around understanding the best practices for mobilizing and engaging youth in food sustainability practices

Summary

Introduction

As a profession, lays claim to being a comprehensive, future-‐ oriented and public-‐driven profession that strives to enhance the livability of our cities, and the quality of our lives. Planners have been involved in efforts to improve water through municipal infrastructure projects such as sewage, waste and resource management, and they have planned our water systems and networks. They have been heavily involved in shelter, developing our human settlements, providing housing and planning neighborhoods and communities. When it comes to food, urban planners have been less focused on this third life essential. The profession has primarily been concerned with the planning of community systems such as housing, transportation, road networks, and zoning and land use, while the food system has been notably absent in most planning practice, research and education (Pothukuchi & Kaufman, 2000)

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