Building Healthy and Supportive Communities MODELS OF COMMUNITY UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP IN THE WATERLOO REGION FOOD SYSTEM Katherine Pigott – Region of Waterloo Public Health Dr. Steffanie Scott – University of Waterloo CFICE Workshop – Edmonton, Alberta November 3 rd, 2012

Comparison of two community university partnership models Model # 1 – Faculty of Environment University of Waterloo Model # 2 – Healthy Eating & Active Communities Team, Region of Waterloo Public Health Building Healthy and Supportive Communities

Faculty of Environment University of Waterloo Academic department sponsors community-university partnership Fourth year food systems course Forty to fifty students a year conduct fieldwork Annual consultations with civil society food system stakeholders to create research/evaluation agenda Building Healthy and Supportive Communities

Healthy Eating and Active Communities Team Civil society actor sponsors community-university partnership Inter-disciplinary team in public health department in regional government Over sixty practicum students in twelve years from several disciplines and academic institutions Practicum placements supported by Central Resources Division Building Healthy and Supportive Communities

Waterloo Region Context

Mid-sized urban community

Vibrant countryside

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Building Healthy and Supportive Communities Our Definition of a Healthy Food System All residents have access to, and can afford to buy safe, nutritious, culturally acceptable food that has been produced in an environmentally sustainable way and that sustains our rural communities.

Faculty of Environment as facilitator of healthy food system Geography 461 – Food Systems and Sustainability Examines food systems sustainability and food security Broad lens: from production to consumption - from local to global Strong emphasis on civil society initiatives and localizing food systems Building Healthy and Supportive Communities

Public Health as facilitator of a healthy food system Research Economic Development Community-based Partnerships Policy Development Organizational Change Capacity Building for Advocacy Food System Plan System-wide networks Building Healthy and Supportive Communities

Final Food System Plan, April 2007 "Public Health continue to provide administrative and research support to the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable" Roundtable becomes guardian of Food System Plan Key Recommendation:

Building Healthy and Supportive Communities SYSTEM WIDE NETWORK First meeting held early 2008 Comprised of 18 representatives from key sectors in the local food system Oversees implementation of "A Healthy Community Food System Plan"

Building Healthy and Supportive Communities Food System Priorities Food Sovereignty Food Policy Urban Agriculture Local Food Infrastructure Farm Viability Access To Healthy Food

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Purpose of Research Describe and compare two ad-hoc models of community-university partnership Explain the context in which these models evolved Reflect on strengths, potential improvements and unexpected outcomes Share learnings Building Healthy and Supportive Communities

Proposed Methodology Document review, key informant interviews and focus groups Twenty research participants due to limited resources Three categories of research participants - partnership sponsors - students - - civil society food stakeholders Building Healthy and Supportive Communities

Discussion/ Questions Building Healthy and Supportive Communities esourcesPublications/reportsdata.asp#FOOD esourcesPublications/reportsdata.asp#FOOD (Public Health Food reports) (Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable) Dr. Steffanie Scott: x Katherine Pigott: x 5415