Connecting through food for good mental health
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week - an annual campaign that encourages Kiwis to explore our mental health and wellbeing.
This year, New Zealand’s Mental Health Foundation is challenging Kiwis to “reconnect - with the people and places that lift you up”.
After the challenges of the past few years, this is a fitting theme - and one which aligns nicely with Garden to Table’s values.
Food is a wonderful way for us all to reconnect with ourselves, others, and our communities.
Reconnecting with ourselves through food
The food that we eat is often a core component of our culture, customs, celebrations, values and beliefs. It both shapes, and reflects, our personal identity and sense of self.
Reconnecting with others through food
From holidays and summer BBQ’s, to family dinners and special celebrations, many memories are made while sharing food with those who are close to us. Food is often the vehicle that brings us together. It’s no wonder that food is known as a ‘social agent’, and the ‘glue which holds families together’.
Reconnecting with community through food
Food is at the heart of many cultures. When we share food with those from other communities and cultures, we get insight into their unique stories, flavours and qualities. At the same time, we create a space for conversation and learning - all of which fosters a feeling of togetherness and shared collective identity.
But, what does this mean for Garden to Table?
While at school, many of us will have built friendships during morning tea breaks, and found connection over lunch box conversations.
Garden to Table enables students to integrate these opportunities and benefits within and alongside classroom learning.
Both the garden and the kitchen are inherently collaborative spaces, where tamariki work together to harvest and prepare seasonal bounty.
In doing so, these children build meaningful connections - not only with each other, but also with the land around them. This helps build a sense of belonging, and in turn, boosts wellbeing.
There is no one better to recount this than those who are involved in the programme firsthand …
“When we’re preparing a new garden, or weeding an existing garden, it’s amazing to hear the conversation between the children. (It is) unlike any conversation that happens in the class. That makes me smile”
“I love seeing how the children get caught up in the moment and can spend one hour focusing on a single task with total concentration. The conversations you have are just magic and the joy and pride you see on their faces makes it more than worthwhile”
When it comes time to share the food that the tamariki have carefully harvested and prepared, conversation fills the air.
Tamariki lead the kōrero - detailing to each other what they learnt and experienced in the kitchen and garden. As they celebrate shared kai, a sense of whanaungatanga is built, and the tamariki deepen their connections with each other.
“When we sit down to share kai together as a whole school prepared by our students and harvested from our gardens. It feels like staff and students have just deeply exhaled. A big family sharing and enjoying togetherness. The talk is light and excited about the learning”
“It is an opportunity for students and adults to have authentic conversations about what is in front of us”
The prepared and shared meals are often intentionally reflective of the cultures in the classroom. This provides a further opportunity for students to reconnect with their own and others’ heritage and identities.
Plus, connections are forged with the broader community, thanks to the volunteers and parent helpers who come along and share their traditions and knowledge.
Would you like to empower Kiwi kids to reconnect with themselves, others, and the community, through the garden and kitchen? Donate today to support more tamariki to boost their wellbeing through Garden to Table.