November 11, 2011 (Wolfville, NS) – Grade 10 students from Halifax and parts of the Annapolis Valley will spend Monday, November 14, 2011 learning more about food and the world around them as part of Slow Motion Food Film Fest Youth Day: Serving up Change for Youth School Lunch and Health Food. Horton High School will host students from Citadel High and North East Kings Education Centre (NEKEC) for a day of film, panel discussions, and presentations about food in schools.
“If just one student starts thinking more or differently about their food than they did the day before, we will have accomplished our goal,” says Michael Howell, organizing director of the 2011 Slow Motion Food Film Festival and director of Slow Food Nova Scotia, the local affiliate of Slow Food International. “It’s all about thinking about your food, not just eating it.”
Nova Scotia doctors also know that being healthy starts long before a visit to their office. That’s why Doctors Nova Scotia invests in health promotion initiatives and events throughout the province.
“Doctors know that being physically active and eating the right foods can keep people healthy and prevent them from needing to access our health-care system,” says Dr. Jane Brooks, past-president of Doctors Nova Scotia and Middleton general practitioner. “We’re hoping through sponsoring events like this one we’ll be able to teach youth the skills they need to live healthy lives.”
Youth Day includes screening the documentary Lunch Line. This documentary takes a new look at the school lunch program in the United States by exploring its past, its current challenges, and its opportunities for the future. The National School Lunch Program feeds more than 31 million children every day. Lunch Line follows six kids from one of the toughest neighbourhoods in Chicago as they set out to fix school lunch and end up at the White House.
A panel discussion following the documentary will focus on school food in Canada and Nova Scotia and will feature panelists Michael Howell, nutritionist Michelle Murton, owner of Taproot Farm Patricia Bishop, educator Sandi Carmichael, nutritionist Ismay Bligh, and Dr. Jane Brooks.
The winner of the Slow Motion Food Film Festival Youth You Tube Contest will be announced and students will screen the film during the day. A youth corps of students from Citadel High and NEKEC will deliver a photo presentation in which they explored healthy food versus fast food through the summer and fall.
“Slow Food International is devoted to improving the food for youth globally,” says Howell. “This initiative, supported so enthusiastically by Doctors Nova Scotia, is slow food ethos in action and we’re delighted with the important partnerships that make this great day come to life.”
The one-day program is presented as part of the Slow Motion Food Film Fest and supported by Doctors Nova Scotia, Slow Food Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, and the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board and Viewfinders International Film Festival for Youth.
Doctors Nova Scotia is the professional association representing all doctors in the province. It is the oldest medical association in Canada. The association represents about 2,300 physicians serving patients across the province, and 700 medical students and residents.
-30-
Contact:
Wendy Jones
902 -478-1014