Participating in and Transforming Communities of Practice

Abstract

Kathy and Shawna, authors of the rap above, were two of several youth at an urban community club who were involved in a summer program focused on investigating the “farm to table systems” in the US. Both 11-year-old girls were adamant on engaging in this environmental issue in relation with their real lives, particularly in relation with the food they eat. When deciding upon a way to express their views about food transportation, they chose to create a rap about strawberries because they thought it would be a good way to compare the differences between local and imported strawberries. Strawberries were also one of the main products that they had tasted earlier in the unit. They had compared the taste of strawberry pop-tarts, frozen strawberries, strawberry jam and fresh strawberries as part of looking at the broader picture of food packaging, processing and transportation. So, before making the rap they had engaged in several activities and discussions regarding “what happens to food from farm to table” and how that affects the environment.