Eighth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

The Hand You are Dealt board game (HYD) was developed by partners of the Food Action Research Centre (FoodARC) to build awareness of structural forces contributing to, and consequences of, household food insecurity, and support shifts in thinking about the approaches needed to address it. The game and accompanying pedagogical tools incorporate community-based participatory action research undertaken in Nova Scotia, Canada by FoodARC partners between 2002-2015, i.e. participatory food costing research on the affordability of a nutritious diet among households with low and fixed incomes, and qualitative research on the lived experience of food insecurity. Preliminary evaluation outcomes suggests that the HYD offers potential to shift thinking towards longer-term policy solutions for food insecurity, particularly in post-secondary and practice settings. For example, preliminary findings among health students and practitioners show the game is effective in capturing attention, building awareness, creating empathy, and transforming perceptions and assumptions about people facing food insecurity. The proposed workshop will include three parts (approximately 15 minutes each). The first part of the workshop will provide a brief overview of the HYD and preliminary research findings on its use with health students and practitioners. In the second part of the workshop participants will have an opportunity to experience game play in small groups of 4-6 people. In the third part of the workshop, a facilitated discussion will explore participants’ reflections on the value of HYD as a transformative pedagogical tool.