Food Mission

Capitalising on previous assets developed by EIT-Food partners (WeValueFood, EIT Food school network, MasterChef Junior, Games of food, Annual Food Agenda, Salvacomidas, FutureKitchen, CKIC Human capital, etc.) EIT Food invited learning experts to create coherent ready-to-use resource packs with and for teachers, available in multiple European languages. The two resource packs (downloadable, easy-to-use teachers’ handbooks and online supplementary materials) are developed for younger students from 9-14 (Food Mission) and teenagers from 15-18 (Food Careers).

Both educational resource packs offer:

• Freely accessible online materials in multiple languages

• 3 thematic modules including ready-to use, detailed lesson plans

• Additional resources to be used in the lesson plans (videos, quizzes and others)

• Accompanied by train the teachers’ workshops (in the piloting phase)

• A challenge-based approach supporting teachers and students to explore the local food ecosystem and its opportunities

The aim of the learning materials, preceded by a thorough needs assessment survey conducted with teachers was to build students’ knowledge about food and improve the soft skills needed for future careers at the same time.

Supported skills:

• Group work

• Creativity

• Interviewing

• Research

• Presentational skills

• Brainstorming

• Visioning

• Critical thinking

The most important learning outcomes:

• Systems thinking: Broadening thinking to identify aspects within food systems and understand its complexity and interrelations.

• Systems mapping: Explore the variety of jobs within the food systems.

• Sustainable lifestyle: Understanding sustainability, from farm to fork to disposal.

• Healthy eating behaviour: Identify the characteristics of healthy eating patterns.

Food Mission educational package targets school children from age 9-14 with the aim of creating awareness about food-related issues from new angles in an interdisciplinary manner, connecting food with sustainability, health and science communication.

Modules:

1. Food & Sustainability

This module focuses on the “big picture”: (sustainable) food production, circular agrifood systems and (food) systems thinking.

2. Food & Health

This module’s lesson plans to teach students about how food interacts with the human body, focusing on healthy diets and investigating how these diets can become more sustainable, being sustainable for both - human as well as planetary health.

3. Food & Science & Communication

Food Mission’s aim is to create a multiplying effect for which effective food science communication is inevitable. Besides lesson plans on food processing and food experiments, students learn in this module how to share scientific knowledge with parents to peers.

Food Careers educational package targets children from the age of 15-18 with a challenge-based approach, building on the local ecosystem and opportunities. The aim is to inspire and encourage young people to study a food-related discipline while raising awareness on opportunities and career tracks in the agrifood sector.

Modules:

1. Mapping and innovating local food systems

This module helps teachers and students improve systems thinking skills while exploring local food systems and innovation opportunities.

2. Food systems careers and jobs

The lesson plans of this module support the discovery of the multitude of agrifood careers and also offer a chance for self-reflection with testing and matching the students’ skills and interests with professions.

3. Food, STEM and technology

This experimental and technology focused module teaches students about how to work in a science project setting on a food-related topic. The aim is to improve the skills of working on a project together with a group and thinking creatively. To bring students closer to science and to professions that are linked with it.