This document summarizes a presentation given by Katie German of FoodShare Toronto about a program called School Grown. The presentation included an introduction, agenda, icebreaker, and overview of how School Grown works. It is a paid work and school credit program where youth are hired as farmers. They learn farming skills and sell produce at a farmers market, to restaurants, and neighbors. The presentation discussed what has been learned, including how youth wrote their own curriculum instead of having it imposed by adults. This empowered students and showed they are already experts in some areas. The presentation concluded with breakout activities and a call for questions.

1. Students Stepping Up to the Plate
Katie German, FoodShare Toronto
Presentation made at Bring Food home 2015

2. WELCOME!
- Thank you for coming! We are happy you are here 
- Introductions of your facilitators
- Agenda for our session

3. AGENDA!
- Ice breaker
- Intro to School Grown
-How our program works
-What we’ve learned
-Writing curriculum
-Questions
- Intro to The Stop
- Three Breakout Activities
-Drama, Storytelling, Photos
- Regroup and Closing

4. ICE BREAKER!

5. ICE BREAKER! – 5 Questions
What do you like to cook at home for yourself?
What food would you make for someone on your first date?
What’s your favorite restaurant and why?
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
What’s a food that reminds you of your childhood?

6. School GrownSchool Grown
Paid Work + School Credit + Make FriendsPaid Work + School Credit + Make Friends

7. Eastdale CIEastdale CI

8. Eastdale CIEastdale CI

9. Bendale BTIBendale BTI

10. Bendale BTIBendale BTI

11. HIRE 14 YOUTH FARMERSHIRE 14 YOUTH FARMERS

12. Paid employment + co-op creditsPaid employment + co-op credits

13. RESTAURANT SALESRESTAURANT SALES

14. NEIGHBOURS + TEACHERSNEIGHBOURS + TEACHERS

15. FARMERS MARKETFARMERS MARKET

16. COOKING SESSIONSCOOKING SESSIONS

17. FIELD TRIPS & WORKSHOPSFIELD TRIPS & WORKSHOPS

18. What We’ve LearnedWhat We’ve Learned

19. CurriculumCurriculum

21. “Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the
students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor.
Banking Model of Education
Worse yet, it turns them into "containers," into "receptacles" to be
"filled" by the teachers. The more completely she fills the
receptacles, the better a teachers she is. The more meekly the
receptacles permit themselves to be filled, the better students they
are.”

22. “it’s a lot like being an empty bucket,”
“I feel disappointed that people think that of us. I think
everyone has their own - I mean people really know a lot.
People aren’t just empty you know, they have things that
they’ve learned, from their parents, from living in this world.
We aren’t just empty.”

23. Writing our own curriculum is about getting the education system to
see us as we see ourselves.
This is how the education system
sees us:
This is how we see ourselves:

24. CurriculumCurriculum
- Usually curriculum is written by adults
- We should be able to learn what we want to learn, not what other people think we
should learn
- If students write it it gives them a chance to speak about what they want to know
- Students writing curriculum also shows that we are experts already in some things
Took this back to our schools – Katelynn’s english class

25. YOUTH AS CURRICULUM WRITERSYOUTH AS CURRICULUM WRITERS

26. YOUTH AS CURRICULUM WRITERSYOUTH AS CURRICULUM WRITERS

27. Questions about what
we talked about so far?

30. Three Breakout Groups:
1.Drama with Gita, Katelynn & Cali
2.Pictures with Katie, Deshanel & Kamaria
3.Story Telling with Xuan-Yen, Kanaka & Russell

31. Report back on group activities.

38. Something you learned and something you are
taking away.

39. Thank you!
If you have more questions – talk to us at the conference 
Or you can email:
Katie German
katieg@foodshare.net
@schoolgrownTO