Growing Educational Pathways for Food Sovereignty
Growing Educational Pathways for Food Sovereignty (GEPFS) is a dynamic, community-based
program that creates high school-to-university pathways, while championing both food
sovereignty and educational justice. At its core, the program connects culturally
sustaining agriculture and culinary traditions to schools and universities, supporting
marginalized students in asserting their right to belong in educational spaces, both
now and in the future. This initiative not only promotes student success in the short
term but also fosters sustainable, locally-led food production in the long term.
The GEPFS program incorporates innovative strategies to build a sense of belonging through cascading mentorship, place-based campus-community partnerships, and an emphasis on students as leaders tackling important issues for their families and communities. The program offers a variety of components:
• Afterschool courses for middle schoolers
• High school courses for college credit
• A paid garden stewards program for graduates who attend the University of Utah
• The SPARC Lab, where current and future students collaborate on community-based projects
Through these phases, the program empowers youth to take ownership of community-level food initiatives. By highlighting local strengths and diverse food traditions, the program's instructors include university faculty, community members, and parents who lead cooking and gardening classes using ingredients harvested from the garden.
This program builds on existing research that shows how community garden programs, culturally responsive pedagogy, and family engagement can strengthen student belonging. But we’re also pushing the boundaries of traditional definitions of belonging, which often focus solely on the psychological aspects. For students of color, and those from immigrant and refugee backgrounds, navigating belonging in school is a complex social, cultural, and even political process. Our approach is informed by a new, critical framework: the Right to Belong in School, which expands beyond simple feelings of belonging to address systemic barriers and empower students in transformative ways.
