Agriculture in the Classroom Canada is set to bring a new and exciting interactive event to three urban areas in Canada over the next year.
When Saskatchewan’s Tanvi Pandya was in high school, she participated in a program sponsored by Farm Credit Canada (FCC) to inspire young people to get curious about a career in agri-food and let them know there’s more to this sector than they ever imagined.
Today, a few years later, the 20-year-old is finishing up a degree in business and working as a customer service representative for FCC.
“People often think agriculture is all about being a farmer, but there’s something for everyone in this industry,” she says. “Even though I don’t farm, my work helps people who do. I really feel purpose when I come to work, knowing that in my own way I help feed the world.”
FCC and Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) — with the help of volunteers from across the industry — are setting out to find more young people like Pandya who represent the future of Canada’s agriculture and food industry. They are excited to bring their newest event — engAGe — to three urban centres in 2019-20.
This high energy and motivating event will bring together over 1,500 students and their educators in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, immersing them in a day of learning and exploring the diverse pathways into agriculture and food careers, including science, technology, engineering (STEM), business and more.
The events will be held in partnership with AgScape, the voice of Agriculture in the Classroom in Ontario, British Columbia Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation and the Centre de développement pour l’exercice de la citoyenneté in Quebec.
“engAGe is basically all about opening students’ minds to the many amazing, diverse, and dynamic opportunities available to them in agriculture. We know not many students connect a career in ag to science, technology, engineering or math — the STEM subjects. engAGe is all about motivating students to get curious about agriculture and what a career in the wide world of agri-food may hold for them,” says Johanne Ross, executive director of AITC-C.
Ross notes that a 2017 Teen Career Inquiry Survey completed by Kynetec determined that high school students are most interested in careers related to STEM, but less than 50% of students realized that agri-food offers these opportunities.
engAGe will consist of keynote speakers who will share their experiences related to agriculture as well as hands-on learning activities and a culinary experience.
“It’s going to be very fast-paced, energetic and inspiring, with something for everyone to connect to,” Ross adds.
Marty Seymour, director of industry relations for FCC, says in this age of social media, it can be a challenge to get agriculture’s message out to young people.
“As an industry we have to move out of our echo chamber and engage these young people and show them that agriculture is about more than just driving up and down a field in a tractor,” Seymour says. “We knew we had to do something different that would move the needle.”
The event begins in Montreal on Nov. 19, will head to Vancouver on Feb. 11, 2020, and will wrap up in Toronto in early 2020.
For more information visit aitc-canada.ca/en-ca/engage.
