NATIONAL FOOD SUMMIT: A STUDENT'S RESPONSE

This year’s National Food Summit was held at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus. At first I was not sure what to expect besides that it was an effort to assist those less fortunate both internationally and domestically. I was very interested in attending and finding out how I could contribute. On the first day, through group work, we learned about the world wide food crisis and how organizations are helping disadvantaged groups. We learned about the importance of food and how it connects us all.

On the second day we were put into groups and had the opportunity to travel to designated locations where we learned about Canadian efforts in growing food domestically and reducing our dependency on other Countries. We visited the Gladstone Hotel and got a free tour. We spoke with their chef on how they were promoting and growing food domestically. They informed us on how they were cooking a lot of their menus with domestic food.

Amazingly and to my surprise, Canada doesn’t grow enough food to sustain itself as a country. This means we depend so much on food being imported that if borders were ever to shut down, we as a nation would eventually starve. I was really surprised to hear that, but that fact increased my desire to know what I could do to help. We were taught how to become active within our communities by getting involved with organizations that can either teach you how to grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables or come to do the work for you. The best thing about any of these options is that they are free.

Through networking efforts I discovered that there are actually organizations like Not Far From the Tree that come and assist homeowners to harvest their fruits. They do the work for you as long as you contribute a certain amount of the food. I think that’s pretty cool.

In conclusion, the whole experience was very rewarding and informative. This experience has made me aware of the importance of growing food domestically. I am currently researching fruits and vegetables that I can grow myself in order do my part. I certainly recommend this to anyone who would like to contribute to their community and more importantly to Canada. Thank you very much National Food Summit.

Written by Jose Juarez

BEHIND THE MASC

The White Ribbon Campaign promotes awareness among, and action by, men to help end violence against women. The campaign was started by a group of men in 1991, two years after the Montreal Massacre. The White Ribbon Campaign is the largest effort in the world by men working to end violence against women.

This year the White Ribbon Campaign extends from the International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women on November 25 until December 6, Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. The latter date marks the dark anniversary in 1989 when an armed man murdered 14 women at Montreal's École Polytechnique. It was a tragedy that shocked the nation and forced us all to acknowledge the extent of violence against women in society.

As a key part of the College's campaign, the Student Relations Office, Respect Committee and the White Ribbon Campaign Planning Committee are proud to sponsor a rare opportunity to see award-winning New York actor, playwright and poet Carlos Andrés Gómez. His performance looks at what it means to be a 'good man' in a world where masculinity is confined by the narrowest of definitions. Carlos' performance at our White Ribbon Campaign Event last year left a very positive impression on those who attended.

All students and employees are encouraged to attend, and we ask that faculty encourage their students to attend.

Carlos has toured across the world and is the 2006 Toronto International Poetry Slam Champion. Drawing on his background as a teacher and social worker in Harlem and the West Bronx, Carlos brings attention to challenging and often ignored social issues, delivering an empowering message built on the belief that everyone is “distinctly beautiful."

GLOBAL TOURISM: THE HIDDEN TRUTH

 

An Individual’s Social and Personal Responsibility to Sustainable Tourism - Making a Contribution While Leaving Your Footprints Behind

On November 2, 2011 the Center for Organizational Learning & Teaching (COLT) and the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture (SHTC) hosted Global Tourism: The Hidden Truth a GCE co-curricular event. This event supports Centennial’s GCE initiative that challenges all of us to think about our roles and social responsibilities in our personal and professional lives.

Clips from the renowned documentary Jamaica for Sale were shown to showcase the destructive side of the tourism industry on the island. This was followed by a presentation from Dr. Rachel Dodds, an Associate Professor in the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University. The session wrapped up with an interactive discussion where students, staff and faculty engaged in a dialogue on the issues revealed in the film and the presentation.

From the afternoon’s presentation it is quite apparent that Jamaica represents a developing world economy that relies heavily on tourism as a major provider of its revenue. To understand why Jamaica, and other developing countries, 'sell' their countries to multinational corporations, an understanding of their bondage and dependency orchestrated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank is integral in this discussion.

Why is this dialogue so important? It is important that our students, the prospective workers in the field, become aware of the inequity of the tourism industry. This is of fundamental importance because the future of the industry lays in their hands and so by them becoming aware of sustainable issues today the probability of impacting policies and practices in the future increases.

In the meantime, while the macro-structures are at work, what can the average person do to combat the inequity that contributes to the lack of sustainable tourism in his/her personal and professional life as a participant at the micro-level?  As Dodd’s suggested on her Sustainable Tourism website, there are indeed many things that we can do to contribute to sustainable tourism as the engine of the tourist trade keeps on turning, these include:

• Before you go, ask your travel provider about the company's environmental and responsible tourism policies - support those who support responsible tourism.
• Be considerate of the communities and environment you visit.
• Support the local economy. Buy locally made souvenirs, eat at local restaurants - enjoy the local culture!
• Don't litter. Try to carry your own shopping bag to avoid contributing to the plastic problem in many countries of the world.
• Try to avoid excessive waste and the use of plastic bottles (in many countries there is no way of disposing of these, therefore creating plastic mountains due to tourism).
• Reduce energy consumption. Unplug your mobile phone charger and turn off the lights.
• Conserve water. Take shorter showers...the average hotel guest uses over 300 litres of water per night! In a luxury hotel it is approx. 1800 litres!
• Always ask before taking photographs. If someone says no, respect their wishes.
• Educate yourself about the place you are visiting and the people.
• Respect cultural differences - and learn from it! People in different places do things differently - don't try to change them - enjoy them.
• Dress respectively. Cover up away from the beach. Cover your head in religious places. Notice local dress codes and adhere to them.
• Do not purchase or eat endangered species (e.g. turtle egg soup, crocodile handbags)
• Do not give pens, candy or other gifts to local children - it fosters a begging economy. If you wish to donate, contact a local school or tour operator who can ensure the gifts are distributed fairly and properly.
• Do not support the illegal drug trade or the sex trade.
• Take public transit. Or if you must rent a car - why not a hybrid or electric one if available?
• Ask your accommodation provider (hotel, guest house, lodge) about their sustainability practices - do they compost? Recycle? Do they have fair labour laws? Do they have an environmental policy?
• Support local organisations – either in the place you visit or where you live.
• Support responsible tourism organisations - those operators who publicly are aiming to make tourism more responsible.

Therefore, at the micro-level, in our personal and professional lives we can play our part as global citizens by reducing where we leave our footprints.

Written by: Ann-Marie Fisher-Herdsman, Global Citizenship and Equity Portfolio Learning Advisor, COLT

3M NATIONAL STUDENT FELLOWSHIP

Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M Canada are proud to announce a unique new undergraduate award. The 3M National Student Fellowships, awarding $5,000 to ten full-time Canadian college and undergraduate university students to recognize their outstanding leadership qualities and achievements in advancing student learning. "The Student Fellowship” is the first in Canada to build community among visionary student leaders whose voices will shape tomorrow's future in post-secondary education.
 
The Fellowship builds on a 27-year partnership between 3M Canada and STLHE and marks an exciting beginning for students across Canada to distinguish themselves as part of a unique learning community.
 
The Fellowship is open to full-time, college and undergraduate university students. Candidates must have completed at least one full-time semester of study; however, they cannot apply during the final year of their degrees or diplomas.
 
Each of the ten winners:

• Receives a $5,000 award to be spent at the discretion of the recipient.
• Joins other award winners (their cohort) and the Program Coordinator at the STLHE annual conference.
• Has the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with their cohort on issues that matter to them.
• Develops, if they so choose, a collaborative project to enhance teaching and learning at the post-secondary level.

Submission Deadline:  
The deadline for the inaugural round of applications is January 7, 2012.
 
For more information: 
Sylvia Avery 
STLHE Administrator 
c/o McMaster University 
1280 Main Street West 
Hamilton, ON L8S 4L6 
(905) 525-9140, ext. 20130