milestone report

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada

350 Albert Street Ottawa, Canada K1P 6G4

Personal information will be stored in the personal information bank for the appropriate program. Form V3 (2010)

COMMUNITY-UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ALLIANCES (CURA) MILESTONE REPORT __________________________________________________

CURA MILESTONE REPORT As a condition of their grant, CURAs are expected to provide an initial Milestone Report, annual financial reports, a Mid-term Report, and a Final Research Report at the end of their grant. In addition to providing information on the overall performance of the CURA program (as per the program‟s Results-based Management and Accountability Framework (RMAF), these reports will also provide an opportunity for CURAs to report on the progress and outcomes of their activities, as per the performance indicators they have identified at the formal application stage. The Milestone Report provides an overall view of what the CURA plans to accomplish, how, and in what timeframe, as well as how the CURA plans to track and measure its progress and performance. Specifically, the purpose of the Milestone Report is to: update key information provided in the formal application stage;

establish the milestones for the CURA‟s Mid-term Report so as to be able to determine which activities are on, ahead or behind schedule and establish the status of planned activities, outputs and outcomes;

confirm responsibilities of team members, clarify the goals of the research program, and describe governance and management structures; and

provide a yardstick for the Mid-term Review Committee members to measure accurately the progress achieved during the first half of the CURA grant.

Given the importance of the Milestone Report, the Council expects that the PI will ensure that core members of the alliance review the document at the draft stage and that all members of the alliance will endorse its content and commitments. The completed Milestone Report should be no more than fifteen (15) pages in length (excluding appended documents). Note: SSHRC is well aware of the diversity of models of CURA, of the varying ways in which answers to the questions in this report can be provided. As such, if you find that the reports asks for something that you have provided in a previous or subsequent report section, or that is clearly stated in an appended document, you may choose to provide a detailed reference in lieu of a response. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that SSHRC staff is able to easily locate the referenced information. When and how to submit: 12 months after grant begins, submit one (1) copy to: CURA program Strategic Programs and Joint Initiatives SSHRC 350 Albert Street P.O. Box 1610 Ottawa ON K1P 6G4





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Think & Eat Green @ School Community University Research Alliance, Vancouver, BC

Table of Contents 1. Identification ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3

2. Formal Application Follow-up ............................................................................................................................................. 3

2.1 Actions taken to address any comments or concerns, raised by the SSHRCC Adjudication Committee. .................. 3

3. Community and University Partnerships ............................................................................................................................. 5

3.1 Table 1: CURA team members (community and university researchers, community partners, students, knowledge users, etc.) that have joined the project since the time of application. .............................................................................. 5

3.2 Developments in terms of governance structure, particularly members, roles and responsibilities, as well as communication to date. (i.e. establishment of management, advisory boards or other governing structures).. ............... 6

3.3 CURA-established written agreements or protocols outlining partnership functioning ............................................... 7

3.3a Type(s) of written agreement(s) or protocol(s) ..................................................................................................... 7

3.3b If no written agreement or protocols have been established ................................................................................ 9

3.4 Challenges (such as ethics review, management structure, personnel, etc.) that the CURA has faced, and how the team has addressed these challenges. ............................................................................................................................. 9

3.5 Ways in which the CURA has assured the active participation of all CURA team members, including partners. .... 10

4. Research Training and Development .............................................................................................................................. 11

4.1 Anticipated or actual collaborative research skills that community and university researchers will acquire (or have already acquired) as a result of their participation in the CURA. ..................................................................................... 11

4.2 Table 2: Anticipated number of research staff (students, community partners, etc…) that will be participating in the CURA. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 11

4.3 Table 3: Specific applied research skills research staff can expect to acquire through their participation in the CURA. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 12

4.4 Expected degree of participation of the research staff (students, partners, others) in the CURA ............................. 13

4.5 Planned or actual university courses, streams, etc., that will be or are being offered as a result of the CURA. ...... 14

5. Research and Knowledge Production .............................................................................................................................. 15

5.1 Table 4: Source, role of the organization or person in the CURA, nature and amount of support of any additional support (in kind or cash) received since the formal application. ...................................................................................... 15

5.2 Degree resources available to the CURA are sufficient to allow the CURA to achieve research production objectives ......................................................................................................................................................................... 15

5.3 CURA Program of Research ..................................................................................................................................... 15

6. Dissemination of Research Results .................................................................................................................................. 15

6.1 Formal CURA knowledge dissemination / communication plan ................................................................................ 15

6.1a If not, plans for the development of a formal dissemination / communication plan, including anticipated completion date. ......................................................................................................................................................... 15

6.2 Table 5: Number of knowledge dissemination mechanisms/tools/vehicles the CURA has already developed (D) or plans to develop (P). ........................................................................................................................................................ 15

6.3 Table 6: Number of knowledge dissemination events the CURA has already held (H) of plans to hold (P). Also indicate whether the events are aimed at primarily academic, primarily non-academic audiences, or both.. ................ 17

6.4 Intended audiences for the dissemination of the research results, as well as any mechanisms in place to ensure that these audiences have input in the dissemination plans. .......................................................................................... 17





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7. Performance Measurement and Evaluation ...................................................................................................................... 17

List of Appendices Milestone Report Appendices Noted in Text (Readily available at www.thinkeatgreen.ca/milestonereport Appendix 1: Detailed Experience in Year 0 (First year of the Project)

Appendix 2: Research plan for three Action Cycles (or Years 1-3) of the Project

Appendix 3: Working landscape from “inquiry to engagement”

Appendix 4: CURA Grant application

Appendix 5: CURA Logic Model

Appendix 6: CURA Model of collaboration and composition of working groups

Appendix 7: School worksheet and UBC student scenarios, including associated Co-Investigators and GRAs

Appendix 8: Successful Letter of Intent to CIHR

Appendix 9: Letter of Intent to SSHRCC Partnership Program (01/31/2011) and list of applicants

Appendix 10: SSHRCC letter (01/29/2010) with Notice of Award and feedback, SSHRCC File # 833-2009-4006

Appendix 11: Criteria to Hire Graduate Research Assistants

Appendix 12: UBC Nomination CURA as Sustainability Leader for Partnership with City of Vancouver

Appendix 13: Tree image for Think&EatGreen@School Project, including various roles

Appendix 14: Contracts for CURA staff members (Project Coordinator, Project Manager, Project Community

Liaison, GRAs)

Appendix 15: Dot-mocracy indicators chosen in July 2010 meeting

Appendix 16: Provisional Financial Report (as of Feb 22-2011)

Appendix 17: Impacts Summary

Appendix 18: Conceptual Note (Letter of Intent) submitted to IDRC/CIDA‟s The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSR) extending the Project to Ecuador and Chile

Appendix 19: Scholarly and Media Dissemination

List of Tables Table 1 (section 3.1): CURA team members (community and university researchers, community partners, students, knowledge users, etc.) that have joined the project since the time of application. ................................................................. 5

Table 2 (section 4.2): Anticipated number of research staff (students, community partners, etc…) that will be participating in the CURA. ......................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Table 3 (section 4.3): Specific applied research skills research staff can expect to acquire through their participation in the CURA. ................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Table 4 (section 5.1): Source, role of the organization or person in the CURA, nature and amount of support of any additional support (in kind or cash) received since the formal application. .......................................................................... 15

Table 5 (section 6.2): Number of knowledge dissemination mechanisms/tools/vehicles the CURA has already developed (D) or plans to develop (P). ................................................................................................................................................... 15

Table 6 (section 6.3): Number of knowledge dissemination events the CURA has already held (H) of plans to hold (P). Also indicate whether the events are aimed at primarily academic, primarily non-academic audiences, or both.. .............. 17





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Milestone Report (for CURA grant holders) – Form V3

1. Identification

File Number 833 – 2009-4006

Title of CURA: Community university collaborative project on food security in Vancouver schools and institutional adaptations to climate change Short new name: Think&EatGreen@School CURA Project

Report completed by:

Family Name Rojas

Given Name Alejandro

Initials

Primary telephone number Country Area Number 1- 604-822-0494

Primary E-mail [email protected]

Date Submitted (dd/mm/yyyy): 01/03/2011

2. Formal Application Follow-up 2.1 Discuss actions taken to address any comments or concerns, raised by the SSHRCC Adjudication Committee when the grant was awarded.

In the Notification of Award, February 1 2010, the Adjudication Committee raised these issues:

a) “The committee also found the research plans were well-structured and well-suited to the project proposed. However, it considered that further precision on the involvement of other schools over the course of the project could have further strengthened the proposal.” The research team

undertook a careful preliminary assessment of the possible number of schools where the Think&EatGreen@School Project could have a significant impact, given the time and resources available. Prior to receiving the CURA grant, we reviewed the 108 Vancouver public schools to identify those that: a) showed a high interest in participating in our Project; b) already had teachers, students or parents developing activities with similar aims to those of our Project, and c) already worked with one or more of the community-based organizations that are partners in the Project, already delivering activities consistent with some aspect of the CURA. With participation of our whole team of Co-Investigators and partners, we reviewed criteria for school selection and identified a preliminary sample of 30 public schools. Over the past summer, we narrowed this list to 21 schools, with whom we have since worked in the formative year of the Project (now called „Year 0‟). Between September and December 2010, 36 teams of UBC undergraduate students (total 300 from two courses) have conducted Community Impact Projects (CIPs) with these 21 schools to develop and pilot test our research tools and procedures and further characterize the current context in Vancouver Schools. Activities have continued in the spring of 2011, with three additional UBC courses working with 7 schools. Experience in Year 0, detailed in Appendix 1, demonstrated that in order to have sufficient presence in the schools, we need to conduct more CIPs per school and thus decrease the number of core schools we work with in each subsequent year. We have thus refined our research plan for three Action Cycles (or Years 1-3) of the Project, as detailed in Appendix 2 (Year 1: 2011/12; Year 2: 2012/13; Year 3: 2013/14). We will focus on 8 schools in Year 1 (4 elementary and 4 secondary), then add 2 to 4 additional schools in each of Years 2 and 3. Schools are either considered in the more intensive core (“Engaged Schools”), or will be part of the Project as “Inquiry Schools” that may gradually evolve into “Engaged Schools” through contact with our Project. See Appendix 3 for our working landscape of moving from “inquiry to engagement.” The Project team remains open to other requests and opportunities with additional schools, assuming that the synergies already unfolding through the Project‟s network may intensify and expand its appeal and intervention capacity (i.e. if more funding is secured). Also, the food and sustainability movement in the City of Vancouver has acquired a momentum and scope that is reflected in a rapidly evolving policy environment and new emerging possibilities. We plan to carefully monitor, document and support those developments.

b) “The committee recognized the project’s significant potential for producing positive outcomes for the communities involved. In particular, the committee encouraged the team to consider increasing the priority given to the potential policy outcomes arising from the project, since it judged that the project could have significant impact on policy development”. This comment is in

line with the thematic structure of the Project, where assessment of policy affecting the school food system is a central component. Specifically, the Project focuses on policies about food as a field for sustainability learning and GHG emission reduction. The research alliance is sensitive to this goal: partnership with area governance institutions (Vancouver School Board (VSB), Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver Food Policy Council) and an on-going relationship with the City of Vancouver as part of its Greenest City Initiative and with university and community-based organizations, represent the development of new forms and processes of decision-making. The Project‟s Evaluative Framework (page 13 of original Detailed Description of the Research, submitted with the grant application: see Appendix 4 for complete grant application) and Logic Model (see Appendix 5) include indicators to identify policies to improve what children eat at school, what and how they learn about food production, procurement, preparation,

mailto:[email protected]





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consumption and management of end products, as well as environmental impacts of school practices in general and food practices in particular. Our working group on Policy and Institutional Adaptations to Climate Change is comprised of CURA team members who work in their respective institutions on policies aimed at increasing food system sustainability and adaptations to climate change. So far, this group has focused on supporting the development of a food procurement policy that is aimed at increasing availability of lower-emission and sustainably-produced food in City of Vancouver public institutions, including schools and universities.

c) “It found the research alliance was solid, but it would have liked more details on the governance structures in place to manage the many stakeholder interest. Finally, it concurred with the comments of Assessor 4 that the foreign travel could have been justified more fully in relation to the activities of the alliance”. We have been refining and elaborating the governance model with the Co-

Investigators and partners assuming leadership positions across the Project‟s thematic areas. During Year 0, there have been one or more meetings of the whole team every three months to make strategic decisions. In addition, stable working groups, led by a university researcher and co-led by a community or governance-based Co-Investigator, were formed and meet regularly. See Appendix 1 for overview of Year 0. See Appendix 6 for model of collaboration and composition of working groups. Through these processes, UBC Co-Investigators and partners have been involved in all key decision-making areas of the Project, including: sampling criteria; composition of the sample; indicators and evaluation criteria to assess success and impacts; discussion of the nature and scope of CIPs conducted in the schools; and review of the actual writing of school scenarios. Ultimately, decisions of what to do and with whom, were based on summer consultations with school authorities and leaders. See Appendix 7 for school worksheet and UBC student school projects and scenarios, including associated Co-Investigators and GRAs. More detail in section 3.2.

To address Assessor 4‟s comment regarding foreign travel, our justification is that advancing research and practice in food security education is a global concern and thus we requested a small sum in order to attend international conferences and develop international contacts for potential extensions of the work we are engaged in locally with Vancouver schools. However, no funds were used for foreign travel in Year 0 and fortunately, we received approval for a CIHR Letter of Intent (LOI) for an adapted version of this CURA within an Ecuadorian research program. We have submitted the full application on March 1 2011. See Appendix 8 for our successful LOI to CIHR.

d) Assessor 2 raised the following issues. Within a context where every Project component was found to be excellent, Assessor 2 stated, “My one suggestion of any import would be on the public policy side. 9. While this is mentioned in the proposal, I would hope that a detailed assessment of regulatory policies be central to its execution. This would involve other disciplines (law, political science, public administration) as well as a close collaboration with a range of municipal and provincial bureaucracies. My hunch is that it will flow naturally as a result of engagement with the practical implementation of the project on the ground.” The issue of public policy development is

addressed in 2.1c) and we agree with the notion that this “will flow naturally…” Although the Project focus is the City of Vancouver, the CURA is considering strategies to influence decision-making affecting Project goals at the level of provincial government (this is important as many key educational and food policies affecting schools are created in Provincial Ministries, including: Education; Health; Agriculture and Lands; and Environment). The Project has already begun to support the VSB in a Sustainability Action Plan, currently under development. This plan includes food as one of its three key goals, chosen partially because of the VSB involvement in the Project. Several CURA team members are on the VSB advisory group developing the first draft of the food security goal. The draft will go to the Board of Trustees for review, before going to public consultation this spring and returning to the Trustees for adoption. Additionally, a LOI to form a National Food Security Network was submitted January 31 2011 to SSHRCC‟s Partnership Program. From our CURA, 13 Project Co-Investigators are co-applicants, alongside 6 regional networks across the country. See Appendix 9 for the LOI and list of applicants. If that research grant application succeeds, we expect the National Food Security Network to play an active role in Canadian food policy developments.

The rest of the comments offered by the Adjudicating Committee and the four assessors are positive and truly laudatory. See Appendix 10 for the SSHRCC letter from January 29, 2010, with Notice of Award and feedback, SSHRCC File # 833-2009-4006.





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3. Community and University Partnerships 3.1 Using the table below, identify any CURA team members (community and university researchers, community partners, students, knowledge users, etc.) that have joined the project since the time of application.

Name** (last, first, title)

Affiliation (name of organization, province/state, country)

Role in CURA (partner, collaborator, student, other – specify)

Other information about this person you would like to communicate to SSHRC (e.g. Expertise in…)

Adams, Tegan M.Sc. Student

UBC FLFS, BC, Canada

GRA (April -Dec. 2010)

Food Procurement Policies & GHG emissions, schools outreach, drafting CIPs

Adsit-Morris, Chessa, M.A. Student

UBC Fac. Ed., BC, Canada

Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) (September 2010-April 2011)

Curriculum and Pedagogical innovations at school; Outdoor classrooms, school outreach

Atkin, Dolores, School Ground Design Consultant

Evergreen Foundation, BC, Canada

New partner organization

Food garden development, management and maintenance at schools

Black, Jennifer, Assistant Professor


Co-Investigator School food system assessment; Food, Nutrition and Health

Baker-French, Sophia, M.Sc. Student


GRA (April -May 2010)

Logic Model development, schools outreach, drafting school CIPs

Brunetta, Kathy, Teacher Waldorf Schools, BC, Canada

Collaborator Curriculum and Pedagogical innovations at school

Carten, Sarah, Community Nutritionist

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, British Columbia (BC), Canada

Co-Investigator Working as Co-Leader in Food Consumption at school

Cook, Jennifer, Supervisor, Food Services

VSB, BC, Canada Partner organization

Supervision of food services and activities in schools within the VSB

Cooper, Kevin, Undergraduate Student


Garden Coordinator for SOYL (May 17-June 25) Research Assistant (Sept. 2010-April 2011)

Website management and food garden summer coordinator for SOYL

Fox, Kris, Assistant Professor

UBC Landscape ARC and Environmental Design, BC, Canada

Co-Investigator Landscape design in schools

Friedman, Stacey, Program Coordinator

SOYL (Sustainable Opportunities for Youth Leadership), project of the Landed Learning Project, BC, Canada

New partner Food Gardens development, management and maintenance at schools and student training in gardens

Gedofsky, Susan, Assistant Professor

UBC Faculty of Education (Fac. Ed.), BC, Canada

Co-Investigator Curriculum and Pedagogical innovations at school

Golob, Steve, Chef

UBC Food Services, BC, Canada

Co-Investigator

A food service sustainability leading chef in Vancouver and chef of





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the largest and greenest UBC dining hall

Harlap, Yael UBC, Fac. Education GRA (May 2010) Editorial and researching multi-stakeholder models

Mota, Lorena UBC, School Population and Public Health

GRA (Sep. December 2010)

Ostertag, Julia, Ph.D. Student


GRA (Voluntary) Curriculum and Pedagogical innovations at school; Outdoor classrooms, assistant in research framework development

Scott, Sandra, Associate Professor


Collaborator Curriculum and Pedagogical innovations at school

Simmons, Dean, M.Sc. Student


GRA (April 1-May 2010)

Logic Model development, schools outreach, drafting school CIPs

Sipos, Yona, Ph.D. Candidate


GRA (Jan.1-Jun. 2011)

Writer / Editor / Dissemination

Jamie Schaap, MSc. Student


GRA (Jan. 1-April 22 2011)

Curriculum and Pedagogical innovations at school

Shulhan, Stephanie, M.Sc. Student


GRA (Jan. 1-April 22 2011)

School Food system assessment; Food, Nutrition and Health

Stortini, Helen, Executive Director

Growing Chefs, BC, Canada

New partner organization

Assisting students in school projects on Food Consumption and Preparation at school and links with gardens

Wind, Ian, Manager, Purchasing and Food Services

VSB, BC, Canada Partner organization

Food procurement for schools within the VSB

3.2 Describe the developments in terms of governance structure, particularly members, roles and responsibilities, as well as communication to date. (i.e. establishment of management, advisory boards or other governing structures). Be sure to describe such elements as: how integration of all CURA participants will be ensured, particularly in the development of the research agenda; how equality in the partnership between community and university researchers will be ensured and assessed; mechanisms that will allow for partnerships to evolve and expand, etc. As indicated above in section 2.1c), and documented in Appendix 1, we have been refining the governance model, whereby Co-Investigators and partners are assuming leadership positions within Project thematic areas. To implement the governance structure, we have organized our work in the following ways: Coordinating Committee (CC) Activity

Since its inception, the CC has held regular weekly meetings to set in motion and oversee the entire CURA and its governance system. The CC is comprised of: the Principal Investigator (PI); a Senior Co-Investigator as Research Coordinator; a Project Manager; a Project Coordinator; and a Project Community Liaison. The role of the CC is to lead the implementation of the project, administer the grant, facilitate communication between the project participants, organize the various project meetings and workshops, implement knowledge mobilization and contribute intellectual guidance. The CC has been entrusted by the whole team to maintain the vision for the project and to be able to provide resources to all other parts of the project. Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Team Involvement

The GRA team began work April 1 2010, and there are currently 2 Ph.D. and 5 Masters students involved in the Project. The main tasks of the GRAs are shown below; also see Appendix 11 for detailed “Criteria to Hire Graduate Research Assistants.” GRAs assist researchers to:

Develop, communicate with and lead teams of undergraduates in fieldwork at school sites

Lead specific Community Impact Projects (CIPs) with direction from Co-Investigators





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Conduct literature reviews to continually update the knowledge base of the research

Support the preparation of instruments for supplementary data collection

Participate in working meetings with researchers and community partners and contribute to refining the methodology of the study

Communicate with other research partners/collaborators, including coordination of and participation in the annual workshop meetings

Disseminate findings through academic and community conferences, seminars, articles

Contribute materials to the CURA website Establishment of Themed Working Groups and Project Leaders Four working groups were organized around the four Project Themes: Food Production at School (i.e. food gardens, composting programs); Food Consumption at School (i.e. procurement, preparation, school food environment); Curriculum and Pedagogical Innovations; and Policy and Institutional Adaptations to Climate Change. Each working group has a university-based leader and a community

organization or governance institution-based co-leader. The working groups were formed during the first whole-team meeting, April 22 2010, and have been meeting regularly since then. In July 2010, each group held one theme-focused session, open to the entire CURA team. The session on Policy for food procurement to reduce GHG emissions was held in partnership with Vancouver‟s Greenest City Action Team. The working group meetings have enabled: establishment of thematic workplans; review of a Logic Model based on the Project‟s Evaluative Framework (submitted with application); and identification of key indicators for every theme. Whole Team Meetings and Collaboration

Since beginning the grant tenure, we have been working to implement the governance model, as described in great detail in our application. See Appendix 4. A whole-team Project meeting in April 2010 confirmed the team member and partner organization consensus regarding the governance structure. Further to the four July theme-based meetings that were open to every team member, whole-team meetings took place on October 29 2010 (Visioning for the first year, now “Year 0”) and February 4 2011 (Review of the first year, now Year 0 Milestone Report). For further detail, see Appendix 1. Consultations with partner organizations occur monthly or more often to enable partner organizations to work directly and productively with the UBC team in the detailed planning and direct delivery of school projects involving UBC students (see school projects by course in Appendix 7).

The activities detailed above illustrate the implementation and enactment of our governance model and partner involvement in the planning and delivery of school projects involving UBC students. Other

instances of contact and collaboration with area governance institutions, that is, agencies in Vancouver that play a role in governing policies and practices on food security and school curriculum. These include:

Presentation by PI and CC to Vancouver Board of Education (Higher ranking officers, School Trustees, Teachers Federation)

Participation in the implementation of the MoU between UBC and the City of Vancouver Municipal Government on sustainability research. The scholarship allowed a graduate student a “desk” at the City to develop a research agenda of common interest to the City and UBC. Her position created the conditions for a formal partnership between the Vancouver Greenest City Action Team and our Project to develop a food procurement policy for all public institutions of Vancouver based on sustainability principles.

Representation of UBC by the PI, Research Coordinator and Project Community Liaison, alongside 6 other Sustainability Leaders designated by the UBC President, in implementing the MoU signed by the City of Vancouver and UBC. See Appendix 12.

3.3 Has the CURA established written agreements or protocols outlining partnership functioning?

Yes (go to 3.3a) No (go to 3.3b) 3.3a What type(s) of written agreement(s) or protocol(s)? (Check all that apply): Terms of Reference: Our terms of reference are established in the original Project objectives, its

methodology and the governance model describing the organizational structure with specific roles and tasks of each team member and the partner organizations they represent. See Appendix 4 for application. Governance and Organizational Structure of Think&EatGreen@School: Our CURA chose to

represent the governance model and organizational structure of Think&EatGreen@School with a tree, which is a metaphor to aid in conceptualizing the organization of all participants and their interrelatedness. See Appendix 13 for this figure. This organic image emerged through consultation with community partners while developing the CURA grant application. The tree roots represent the origins and foundation of the Project, the past and continuing efforts of the partner organizations, as well as the broader history of environmental and food advocacy in the City of Vancouver and beyond. These roots include the

http://vancouver.ca/greenestcity/background.htm#team

http://vancouver.ca/greenestcity/background.htm#team





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„underground‟ contextual foundation that enabled the Project, including the food security and environmental movements locally, regionally and beyond. The roots anchor the Project in place and acknowledge its historical specificity in place and time.

The root crown of the tree represents the Coordinating Committee (CC). The role and membership of the CC is described in section 3.2 above. Although the Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) function in coordination with the CC, they do not regularly attend CC meetings. Their work is coordinated by the Project Coordinator and the Project Manager.

The trunk of the tree comprises university and community-based Co-Investigators, as well as Co-Investigators from city governance institutions responsible for health, education and policy-making. The trunk therefore represents the leaders in each of the four themes listed in section 3.2.

Project Leaders ensure continuity in each theme and maintain communication for the overall Project. They advise the CC and help guide the overall vision of the project. The members of the trunk, like the roots, are responsible for knowledge mobilization and intellectual guidance, but with a focus on their field of expertise (e.g. academic project leader) or organizational focus (i.e. community or governance-based project co-leader). In this document, we refer both to „partners‟ and „Co-Investigators,‟ as the lead contact people in most of the partner organizations either were from the beginning or have become full Co-Investigators or active participants in the Project. The trunk is responsible for coordinating, integrating and harmonizing the outcomes of Community Impact Projects (CIPs), which are the vehicles that contribute to processes of transition, from the bottom up, towards sustainable food systems in the city.

From the trunk of the Project emerge the main branches of the tree, representing the next level of specialization and concentration of expertise: the four working groups of the Project led by specific Co-Investigators. Their expertise contributes to the development of CIPs that address the research questions and action plans pertaining to each theme. These Project Leaders are responsible for sharing their academic and professional research with the rest of the Project participants and the specific school communities. They are also responsible for directing and developing the activities and research of the GRAs associated with each theme. From the main branches grow smaller branches, representing the CIPs, which are the specific school projects. Under direction from the Co-Investigators, the GRAs lead the implementation of the CIPs; UBC undergraduate students and students from the Vancouver K-12 schools are most involved at this level. Students are engaged in diverse projects related to: food production at schools through food garden and orchard development, building and maintenance; evaluation of health and environmental impacts of food consumed at school; identifying best practices in curriculum and pedagogical innovations; and composting and productive disposal of end products of the school food system. Other projects evaluate the nutritional quality as well as cafeterias and eating spaces from a design perspective, including the type of social interactions they facilitate or prevent and how to evaluate the impact of changes in other themes on institutional mitigation and adaptation to climate change,

The leaves are manifestations of actions and experiences of all Project participants, from the roots through the trunk and branches. The activity and energy of a branch will create leaves in that area of the tree. Through accumulation of positive experiences of Project participants, we will see fruits - successful project outcomes. Within each fruit is a seed, representing knowledge mobilization efforts. These seeds will be able to germinate, take root and grow elsewhere.

Finally, the circulatory structures of the tree represent the GRAs, connecting Co-Investigators and partners as well as coordinating the on-site, school-based efforts of the undergraduate students involved in each theme, delivering a constant flow of information (nutrients) to all aspects of the Project. The outer circle of the diagram represents the Evaluative Framework (specified during Year 0) in the Logic Model, Appendix 5) of the Project, measuring impacts of the tree on its surrounding environment. Co-Investigators and GRAs are responsible for adapting and creating evaluative tools and indicators to measure Project outcomes. Partnerships in Think&EatGreen@School Project

The Project comprises a range of partners that we describe in five general categories: 1. Local community-based organizations that focus on food security, sustainability and related issues,

including: the Environmental Youth Alliance, Farm Folk/City Folk, Growing Chefs, and Society for the Promotion of Environmental Conservation

2. City organizations and bodies involved in governance, service delivery and policy-making, including: VSB, Vancouver Food Policy Council, Vancouver Coastal Health

3. Community-based organizations that serve the entire Province of BC, or beyond, including: Public Health Association of BC, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Evergreen Foundation

4. Individual city schools (21 total) involved in the Project‟s first iteration in Fall 2010; and 5. University partners, including UBC, Simon Fraser University and Ryerson University. This category

includes the contained multiple units; e.g., at UBC, partners include the: School of Community and Regional Planning; Faculties of Education, Landscape Architecture, Land and Food Systems; and





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Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm These five categories are permeable; there are organizations that cut across the boundaries, or that fit only loosely within them. However, the categories are helpful for understanding the scope and multiple kinds of relationships involved in Think&EatGreen@School.

Think&EatGreen@School partners have been involved in every aspect of the Project. Their experience provides useful advice and support in the conceptualization and ongoing Project planning and implementation. All partners participated in large team meetings (six in total) and contributed to all aspects of the work to date. Partners also visited, guest lectured and met with UBC undergraduate students involved in the Project, and attended final student presentations about their work in the schools. Additionally, staff from six partner organizations facilitated and accompanied UBC students in their fieldwork experiences at school sites. Guiding Principles: The Project Objectives and Evaluative Framework, along with the Logic Model

(see Appendices 4 and 5), include guiding principles and specify expected outcomes, while the indicators allow us to assess our progress. Conflict Resolution Mechanisms: The process of decision-making based on a clear demarcation of

responsibilities and constant bilateral consultations aimed at consensus-building has operated in a successful manner so far. This is an area where we are continuing to work to improve and establish more specific mechanisms for conflict resolution. Resource Allocation Principles: The Budget and the Budget Justification included in the original grant

application were drafted through bilateral consultations and then in a whole-team meeting (the third one held through the process of elaborating the grant application, September 4, 2009) where all the final documents were discussed and approved. The Budget and Budget Justification were special items in the agenda, and they were examined and discussed in detail. Resources are administered according to the procedures established in the governance model and the specific responsibilities of the CC. Contracts (Please specify type/nature of contract): The contracts are those of the following staff

members: Project Coordinator, Project Manager, Project Community Liaison and GRAs. See Appendix 14. Other(s) (Please specify): No other contracts Please note that SSHRC may request copies of the documents for your file. 3.3b If no written agreement or protocols have been established, explain how partnerships will be managed. N/A 3.4 Describe any challenges (such as ethics review, management structure, personnel, etc.) that the CURA has faced, and how the team has addressed these challenges.

While intrinsic to a Community-Based Action Research (CBAR) project, enlisting the full support of the school authorities and communities is a highly complex process. Although the VSB is a full partner organization and two high ranking officers are Co-Investigators in the Project, the process of gaining access to the schools and enlisting the collaboration of school authorities and communities has required lengthy and sustained efforts. Full collaboration of school principals is necessary to work in the schools because they hold the authority to accept or reject school visitors and projects. All schools selected to be part of the Project in Year 0 were re-visited during the Summer 2010 by our GRA team. During those visits, the school authorities and some teachers, parents and students re-affirmed their commitment and helped our GRAs to form a detailed picture of the Community Impact Projects (CIPs) that were of highest priorities for each school. The whole team examined those activities over the four July theme meetings (described above in section 3.2). We further established connections between schools‟ aspirations and our own assessment of our capacity to help them meet their aims. Then, we linked the activities to be conducted in the schools to specific indicators used to evaluate our Project performance. See Logic Model with indicators, Appendix 5. Finally, during the last part of the summer, the CC prepared the final CIPs to be delivered by the graduate students leading the 300 UBC undergraduate students of the Fall 2010 Land, Food and Community I and II courses (LFS 250 and 350, respectively).

During the current Spring 2011 semester, students in three additional courses - Land, Food and Community III (LFS 450), Nutrition Education in the Community (Food, Nutrition and Health 473) and Landscape Architecture 503 - are conducting work in 7 schools, building upon the student projects of LFS 250 and 350 in 2010. See Appendix 7 for all school projects with UBC courses involved in Year 0. To date, 4 new Directed Studies courses have been offered by various Co-Investigators, so far involving an additional 8 undergraduate students.

Year 0 activities have already facilitated a solid commitment from school authorities, key teachers, some parents and students, however, we need to create structures and procedures to further engage teachers, Parent Advisory Councils, student organizations and students in general in the collaborative work that has begun with school and district administrators. Full engagement of the school community is key to the success of the CURA and is an ongoing and challenging process. At the February 4

2011 meeting, our

team discussed the challenge of consistent communications in the community, as various stakeholders visit schools and present themselves as part of the Project. Our team initiated discussion of consistent





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messages to be developed in-print; these discussions are ongoing. 3.5 Describe the ways in which the CURA has assured the active participation of all CURA team members, including partners.

Please refer to question 3.2 above for details on how all CURA team members, including partners, have been actively participating. Since the initiation of the award, there have been whole-team meetings every three months, conducted in the form of participatory workshops. Agendas are proposed and all team members are contacted in advance to contribute to the final agenda for all meetings. Four of the six whole-team meetings have been based on our four themes, as outlined above. At the whole team meeting on February 4 2011, we reviewed and set our year 1 action research plans, included in this Milestone Report, section 5.3. Subsequently, all team members had the opportunity to review and contribute to the Milestone Report at its drafting stages.





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4. Research Training and Development 4.1 Describe the anticipated or actual collaborative research skills that community and university researchers will acquire (or have already acquired) as a result of their participation in the CURA.

These can be summarized as: a. Knowledge mobilization and sharing. The highly participatory nature of this CURA emphasizes

exchange of university-based, community-based, and governance-based knowledge. Thus, in every team meeting, these different types of knowledge interact and shape the Community Impact Projects (CIPs) for the schools, as each of the CIPs must incorporate multiple types of knowledge to ensure relevance and clarity. Community and university researchers are learning how to: manage the dynamics of collaboration with multiple partners in meetings and the interaction of different bodies of knowledge; incorporate the voices, goals, values, and expectations of multiple partners in plans for research; and prevent the domination of any one body of knowledge in particular. This learning process requires attention, careful documentation, monitoring and ongoing reflection.

b. Knowledge translation and integration. The action research nature of the Project requires that hands-

on and experiential knowledge be valued and incorporated as is theoretical and scholarly knowledge. The processes of integration tend to emerge organically from the identification and formation of knowledge that represents priorities of all stakeholders involved.

c. Knowledge co-production and dissemination. The creation of a body of knowledge that can be easily

shared by the five kinds of partnerships involved in this CURA (see section 3.3a) will only be meaningful if the process involves and reaches the broader school communities (i.e. the teachers, parents and school students). Meaningful encounters of the knowledge bases of these distinct sub-cultures – as is already happening in our CURA – are imperative for co-production of new knowledge. Specifically, we aim to make the knowledge we gain through this project meaningful for those who can and will use it. We therefore hope to gain skills in involving community partners in the co-production of knowledge and learn the best ways to disseminate that knowledge so that it will actually be used to inform and bring about new practice. Co-production of knowledge requires a vision of dissemination of learning in a diversity of venues and in a language that overcomes over-specialized jargon and the fragmentation of knowledge. If the Project is successful, this aspect would be an important contribution.

d. Evaluative research. All CURA partners are invested in and working together on an ongoing process

of gaining skills to evaluate the Project impacts. Again, the action research nature of the Project requires very different criteria and indicators of success than those usually required by each separate knowledge base. Understanding the emerging properties of the interaction is a key learning skill for all participants.

4.2 Indicate the anticipated number of research staff (students, community partners, etc…) that will be participating in the CURA. (Please note that actual figures will be required in your Mid-term and Final Research reports).

COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND OTHER RESEARCH STAFF

Provenance of community research staff member

(Community organization, partner organization, etc.

Paid or Unpaid? (by

CURA)

Role of research staff member (Research

coordinator, project manager, technician, etc.)

UBC STUDENTS

Paid by the CURA Grant # Canadian # Foreign

Undergraduate 1 per year for 5 years

Masters 5 per year for 5 years 1

Doctoral 2 per year for 5 years

Postdoctoral 0

Paid by UBC as TAs in courses involved in the CURA Project

Undergraduate 1 per year for 5 years

Masters 8 per year for 5 years

Doctoral 2 per year for 5 years

Unpaid # Canadian # Foreign

Undergraduate 6 (4 SOYL + 2 in Spring 2011) Directed Studies + Volunteers

1

Masters 0

Doctoral 1

Postdoctoral 0





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Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Unpaid Participation in all team meetings and contributed significantly to the development of the Policy

Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm

Unpaid Participation in full team meetings, advisory contributions to policy & GHG project areas, facilitation and support of land-based CIPs, development of new “Inquiry School” partnerships for planned schools adjacent to teaching farm site, general technical support for on-campus field learning sites.

Evergreen Foundation Unpaid Participation in all team meetings and contributed significantly to the development of the action research agenda. Direct participation with undergraduate and graduate students in two schools in projects of food production and landscape redesign

Environmental Youth Alliance Paid Co-Investigator, work on high school engagement in CIPs

1 *

Farm Folk/City Folk Unpaid Participation in all team meetings, facilitation of networking with farmers

Growing Chefs Unpaid Direct participation with undergraduate students in CIPs under their leadership

Public Health Association of BC (PHABC)

Paid Co-Investigator, Farm-to-School projects 1 *

SOYL Paid Summer Youth Training in Sustainability. Focus on school food garden development. Key player in the continuation of work in school gardens over the summer. Training of 4 UBC undergraduate mentors for youth to be involved in subsequent activities of SOYL.

1*

Society for the Promotion of Environmental Conservation (SPEC)

Paid Co-Investigator, Co-Leader of Food Production at School projects

1*

UBC Learning Exchange Unpaid Participation in all team meetings and contributed significantly to the development of the action research agenda

Vancouver Coastal Health Unpaid Co-Investigator, staff member, Co-Leader of Food Consumption at School, fully engaged and leading undergraduate students in concrete CIPs

Vancouver Food Policy Council Paid Project Community Liaison, member of the LFS 250 teaching team. Co-Chair of the organization‟s Co-Leader in Policy component of the Project

1*

Vancouver School Board Unpaid Co-Investigator fully engaged and leading undergraduate students in concrete CIPs

Vancouver Food Policy Council Unpaid Co-Investigator involved as co-Leader in Policy component of the Project

*= See Provisional Financial Report in Appendix 16 for details 4.3 Use the table below to indicate () what specific applied research skills research staff can expect to acquire through their participation in the CURA.

Skills Students Community Partners and other Research Staff

Under-graduate

Masters Doctoral Postdoctoral

Research Design

Participate in designing project n/a

Write grant proposals n/a





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Design methodology n//a

Data Collection & Analyses

Collect data or information n/a

Analyse research results or content n/a

Manage databases n/a

Presenting Results

Present research at conferences n/a

Publish articles/books n/a

Produce performance/exhibit n/a

Administrative Tasks

Develop/monitor budgets n/a

Provide admin support n/a

Application of Specific Skills

Design websites / programming n/a

Specific skills (language, software) n/a

Translate/edit/proofread n/a

Interactions

Organise conferences, workshops n/a

Mentor/supervise other students n/a

Liaise with community stakeholders n/a

Participate in mtgs. with co-researchers

n/a

Participate in mtgs. with partners n/a

Work in interdisciplinary environment n/a

Other(s): Please specify: n/a

4.4 Explain the expected degree of participation of the research staff (students, partners, others) in the CURA, including an explanation of the extent of involvement as well as the range or diversity of available opportunities further build their knowledge, expertise and research skills. As appropriate, provide examples and explain how these skills will be demonstrated.

The participation of students, partners and Co-Investigators matches quite accurately the action research design and process of collaborative decision-making and implementation described in the CURA Grant Application (Appendix 4). The action research agendas, methodology, sampling process, crafting of CIPs in schools, delivery of the school projects and sharing outcomes have all been done (or are currently being done) with involvement of the whole team. All Project theme working groups are co-led by UBC and community or governance-based organizations. Considering that the Project is, at the time of writing, just one year old, it is reassuring to note the quality and depth of relationships created through Year 0 with all team members and their respective organizations. Opportunities to further build knowledge, expertise and research skills are indicated in table 4.3 above. Graduate Students in particular In addition to the GRAs funded by the CURA grant, other graduate students (approximately 8 per year) who work as teaching assistants (TAs) facilitate undergraduate student research to complete their Think&EatGreen@School projects in the schools. (These TAs are supported by the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC within the Land, Food and Community series of undergraduate courses.) Students and GRAs are benefitting from exposure to, as well as implementation and administration of, a collaborative undertaking with academic and non-academic stakeholders. They are acquiring significant teaching and research experience within a project that brings the university to the communities and vice-versa. The skills acquired through working with the CURA project will create highly qualified personnel in all fields of food system analysis (health, nutrition, environment, climate change mitigation, education). In total, 15 graduate students per year are involved (7 funded by the CURA Project and 8 by FLFS). The following list speaks to the specific skills that developed from food system analyses:

Contributing to the development of innovative pedagogy and curriculum resources in a multiple classroom and learning settings

Developing hands-on urban agricultural skills

Increasing their knowledge of methods of nutrient recapturing systems at different scales.

Developing and implementing Life Cycle Analyses for tracking GHG emissions in the food system

Conducting assessments of the food environment in schools using well developed research tools

Elaboration with school and community-based partners of plans for food garden development and maintenance using well developed research and design tools





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Conceptualization, development and implementation of an outdoor classroom linking food production, consumption and sustainable management of end products of the food cycle

Summarizing and systematizing data collected in school projects

Prepare and submit timely activity reports

Becoming excellent team workers

4.5 Describe any planned or actual university courses, streams, etc., that will be or are being offered as a result of the CURA. In particular, please explain the CURA’s roles and contributions to these opportunities.

In Fall 2009, while supported by CURA development funds allocated upon approval of our LOI, UBC undergraduate students from courses Land, Food and Community I and II (LFS 250 and 350) participated in conducting a district-wide survey to better understand the state of food-related projects in City schools. This CURA allows for the continuation and extension of related activities throughout the core curriculum of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (FLFS), in LFS 250, 350 and 450, with approximately 300 undergraduate students involved per year. 100 undergraduate students from FNH 440, FNH 473, and graduate students from LFS 500 and LARC 503 are involved in food system community-based research and community service-learning projects as part of their coursework, in the schools and the communities in their catchment areas. These student projects are all CIPs, developed with CURA Co-Investigators and partners. In interdisciplinary teams of 5-7, students participate in real-world problem-solving scenarios, exposing them to the complexities of community-based, food system action research. Past experiences in course projects have contributed to the academic growth and professional development of the undergraduate students, emphasizing the crucial role of interdisciplinary collaboration in food system analysis. In addition, we are preparing a Summer Institute for teachers. The Think&EatGreen@School Summer Institute will focus on food security and sustainability issues in

collaboration and partnership with teachers, administrators, staff and students from Vancouver School Board schools. The Institute is aimed at finding collaborative solutions to increase the knowledge and understanding of the connections between food, health and the environment across the food system in schools. A combination of plenaries and streamed workshops and activities will be relevant to both elementary and secondary schools and curriculums. Workshops and activities will focus on different components of the school food system, including: food gardens and orchards; composting and waste management; food procurement, preparation and consumption; curriculum and pedagogical innovations; and school food policies. The Summer Institute will be held at the first week of July, probably Monday, July 4

th – Wednesday, July 6

th. Workshops and hands-on, experiential activities over three days at UBC will

follow the different components of the food cycle at school, including making connections to curriculum and pedagogy, as well as policy. Day 1 – HANDS IN THE SOIL: Food production and composting Day 2 – COOKING AND EATING TOGETHER: Food preparation and consumption Day 3 – HOW TO TEACH AND ACT: Integration of the food cycle into curriculum and the development of action plans for schools





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5. Research and Knowledge Production 5.1 Indicate the source, the role of the organization or person in the CURA, the nature and amount of support of any additional support (in kind or cash) received since the formal application, in the table below. Please also indicate whether the support is confirmed (C) or anticipated (A).

Source

(Organization or Person Name)

Role in CURA (Partner,

collaborator, other – specify)

Nature (Financial,

intellectual, in-kind, other-specify)

Amount (for

financial contributions only)

Is support confirmed (C) or anticipated (A)?

UBC, Office of the Vice-President, Research

PI Research Award in support of our CURA winning project

$50,000 (C)

Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR)

CURA PI as a Co-Applicant and Co-Investigator in a bi-national (Canada-Ecuador) research program

Financial, Letter of Intent approved

$25,000 (C)

UBC Teaching & Learning Enhancement Fund

(3) CURA Co-Investigators and 2 Graduate Students GRA in Think&EatGreen@School

Research Grant to extend research on outdoor classroom &food

$40,000 (C)

5.2 To what degree are the resources available to the CURA sufficient to allow the CURA to achieve its research production objectives?

Although the scope of the Project could be expanded with more funding (and we are applying to other grants to supplement it), the research was designed to be conducted within the budget allocated. 5.3 CURA Program of Research Append to your report a brief overview, in the format provided below, of the CURA’s main research program, identifying any changes from the formal application. Provide a brief overview of the way in which the CURA research team is organized (e.g., units, clusters, themes, teams, departments, etc.), as well as a preliminary description of the research projects.

Refer to Appendix 2 for appended overview report.

6. Dissemination of Research Results 6.1 Has the CURA developed a formal knowledge dissemination / communication plan?

Yes (please append document to your report). No (go to 6.1a) 6.1a If not, describe plans for the development of a formal dissemination / communication plan, including anticipated completion date.

The research grant application provided general ideas about dissemination. With this as our starting point, we will prepare a detailed draft of a communication/ dissemination plan by April 1 2011, for review and consideration by the whole CURA team with the goal of having an agreed-upon plan by the end of April 2011. To date, a number of communication and dissemination activities have been implemented. These will continue and include: the website (www.thinkeatgreen.ca) and newsletter; the devolution of Year 0 results to the school communities, community-based partners and others interested; participation in five conferences; involvement in media activities and writing of reports, preparation of working papers and scholarly papers (two already submitted and under peer review). 6.2 Use the table below to indicate the number of knowledge dissemination mechanisms/tools/vehicles the CURA has already developed (D) or plans to develop (P).

Details forthcoming by the end of April when the whole team discusses the Dissemination Plan.

Dissemination mechanisms/tools/vehicles

# Developed (D) # Planned (P)

Research tools (e.g. database, dataset, archive, directory, bibliography, concordance, physical collections, catalogue, etc.)

1 archive (general digital) 1 data base (all data sets) 5 (LFS 250 2009; GRAs reports Summer 2010; LFS 250 and LFS 350 Fall 2010; FNH 490 Fall 2010; GRA reports Fall 2010)

3 data sets (FNH 473; LARC 503 & LFS 450)

Online (website, blogs, forums, etc.) 2 (Website & Newsletter) To be completed by

http://www.thinkeatgreen.ca/





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the end of April 2011

Presentations (non-academic) 8 Power Point Presentations 21 presentations (one per school) in all schools involved in Year 0, reporting what has been learned

Conference presentations (academic) 1 (2 Graduate Students and the PI Guelph presentation)

At least 4 for 2011 (CAFS & SOCLA, UBC & UC-Berkeley)

Journal Articles (academic) 2 Sustainability Open Access Journal (accepted) and Journal of Community Practice (under review)

(TBC April 2011)

Books (academic) 1

Public lectures or address (TBC April 2011)

TV/Radio interviews 2 (PI on CBC Radio International & CBC On the Coast) (See Appendix 17)

(TBC April 2011)

Media products 1 media briefing; 1 Newsletter (TBC April 2011)

TV Broadcast (e.g. documentary, series, etc.)

1

Audio-visual material (e.g. video, film, sound recording, etc.)

1 undergraduate student-made 20 min video

(TBC April 2011)

Newspaper/Magazine article(s) 4 Paper articles (Vancouver Observer; L‟Express du Pacifique; BC Teachers‟ Federation and UBC Report)

(TBC April 2011)

Textbook/Educational Aid (TBC April 2011)

New course(s) * No new courses have been developed so far but 8 UBC courses have incorporated substantial new content and involvement of their students in the Project

*8 Summer Institute, Directed Studies Sustainability Opportunities for Youth Learning (SYL)

New program(s) of study (TBC April 2011)

Performance (e.g. theatre, dance, etc.) (TBC April 2011)

Advisory services (e.g. participation in task forces, advisory committees, etc.)

UBC-COV MOU, PI designated one of UBC Sustainability Leaders to work with City‟s 7 counterparts PHABC Vancouver Regional Farm-to-School Steering Committee; SOYL Advisory Committee

(TBC April 2011)

Consultancy (e.g. research contracts) n/a n/a

Other(s): Please specify: PI featured on

behalf of the Project as a British Columbia Leading Scientist the Year of Science of

1 (TBC April 2011)

http://www.yearofsciencebc.ca/stories-scientists-and-careers/featured-scientists/alejandro-rojas/






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the Science World of BC along with 9 other scholars http://www.yearofsciencebc.ca/stories-scientists-and-careers/featured-scientists/alejandro-rojas/

6.3 Use the table below to indicate the number of knowledge dissemination events the CURA has already held (H) of plans to hold (P). Also indicate whether the events are aimed at primarily academic, primarily non-academic audiences, or both. Collect the information from within the team.

Event Type # Aimed at Academic Audiences

# Aimed at Non-academic Audiences

# Aimed at both Academic and Non-academic Audiences

H P H P H P

Workshop 3 VSB (1ProD & VSB staff & 1 Teachers Home Econ.)

Conference 1

Congress

Symposium

Meeting 6 whole-team 2 CURA Advisory

Other(s): Please

specify: *Summer Institute for

Teachers *Opening up a competition for Think & EatGreen @ School MiniGrants for school-generated projects (See details in Appendix 19)

5 5

6.4 Briefly describe the intended audiences for the dissemination of the research results, as well as any mechanisms in place to ensure that these audiences have input in the dissemination plans.

Details forthcoming by the end of April when the whole team discusses the Dissemination Plan.

7. Performance Measurement and Evaluation

7.1 Detail the monitoring and evaluation plans in place or in development to evaluate the effectiveness of your CURA project. In particular, discuss the following areas:

effectiveness of the management and governance structures;

quality of the planned research program, including individual projects and their expected deliverables as well as suitability and significance of the research conducted;

level of participation of the CURA team (researchers, partners, students, etc.) in the research project; and,

impact and suitability of dissemination activities for the stakeholders.

In the July theme meetings, the workings groups reviewed the Logic Model, discussed the list of possible indicators per theme and in a “dot-mocracy” exercise, each participant indicated preference for possible indicators in terms of applicability, sensitivity and explanatory value. See Appendix 15 for dot-mocracy indicators chosen in July 2010 meeting. Those indicators, chosen through a whole team activity early in our CURA, are the backbone of the monitoring and evaluation plan for the Project. All team members have been invited to review Milestone Report complete drafts and to provide feedback on the effectiveness of our management and governance structures and on the Provisional Financial Report on Year 0 (Appendix 16). The same will be done once we have an all team-reviewed and agreed upon plan for dissemination activities in April 2011. The Graduate Research Assistants have provided feedback on all aspects of their experience in the Project. Finally, see Appendix 17 for further narrative on project impacts.





milestone report

Documents

initial milestone report

completed milestone

final research report

curas midterm report

cura grant

research program

subsequent report section

personal information