Children account for 36% of food bank visits in Alberta every single month. While donations help, the root causes of food insecurity are where we can make a lasting difference from the ground up. Strong food literacy programs in schools are a powerful way to do that. That’s why a lot of teachers like you are running these kinds of programs in their classrooms—or want to.
The reality is that running experiential learning projects does have costs; finding the funding isn’t always easy. So, with the support of the AMA Community Foundation, we’ve launched the AMA School Garden Studio Bursary program!
It’s important for students to understand where their food comes from and are looking for opportunities to feel empowered to help support sustainability—so our bursary can help fund the experiential learning projects that cultivate those hands-on skills that your students can carry with them for life.
While the studio is open to all teachers, lesson plans and the AMA School Garden Studio Bursary are intended to specifically help educators leading gardening projects for grade 7 students. Why grade 7? To help support the “Plants for Food and Fibre” science unit and all the good work its learning objectives can do to help educate children about food literacy.
We’re encouraging any principals and/or teachers who have or are looking to start a grade 7 gardening project to apply before April 15, 2025. Each bursary could be worth up to $2,500!
Note: This article was originally published when the bursary first launched in fall 2024. It’s been updated to include application dates for our winter 2025 intake period.
