Nourish Nova Scotia is a registered charity working to inspire and equip young people to learn about food and transform the food systems around them.
Our vision is that young people in Nova Scotia are well-nourished to live, learn, and play.
40.5% of children in Nova Scotia live in food insecure households.
Across Canadian households, processed food purchases have doubled in 70 years to 60% of family food purchases.
Evidence supports that learning hands-on skills, including cooking, taste-testing and gardening, helps to improve healthy eating outcomes in children.
We know that what we eat affects our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and that the ability to eat healthy food is complex. We also know that the development of skills, knowledge, and attitudes in relation to food are essential for developing healthy habits and nurturing positive experiences with food.
We work across school and community settings to increase access to nutritious foods; create welcoming spaces for youth to connect through food; and facilitate youth leadership in food programs and policies that affect them.
Through our work, we are cultivating generations of youth food leaders - confident and capable of supporting individual, family and community health through food, and activating positive food systems change - now, and for generations to come. Our focus areas include:
Food Literacy
Co-designing programs that increase access to nutritious foods and create opportunities for young people to build knowledge, skills, and confidence around food.
Capacity Building
Engaging youth and partners in the development of tools and resources that strengthen youth engagement and leadership in food.
Advocacy
Strengthening networks of youth and partners to lead the development of sustainable, just and equitable food systems, with a focus on youth-informed policies and practice.