Spotlight on Food Security

Social Work Students Bring Food Security to Life

As part of the Project Management II course led by Laura Feith González, several fifth semester students of the bachelor's program in Social Work implemented an independent project on the topic of food security. A joint ideation workshop marked the starting point: Within a short period of time, the students developed viable project concepts from their initial ideas.

Building on this, the project group planned and organized an event that addressed the social, political, and structural dimensions of food security. The project combined practical project management with an in-depth examination of a highly topical social issue, thereby strengthening key competencies for professional Social Work.

Project “Our Food in Our Hands”

The Food Security Project Group worked with the exhibition “Our Food in Our Hands” by Welthaus Innsbruck. The recently updated exhibition highlights global connections between nutrition, soil, climate, agriculture, water, biodiversity, corporate power, and food sovereignty. It is designed as a traveling exhibition and can be borrowed by educational institutions. The students brought the exhibition to MCI for one day to make it accessible to the public as part of their own event.

The aim of the collaboration between the course and Welthaus Innsbruck was to plan an educational event and develop additional materials that fit seamlessly into the exhibition and are specifically suitable for students aged 14 and above. As the course was held in English and exchange students were also involved, the topic was particularly well suited to a global approach.

Among other things, the students developed an English-language summary of the exhibition for teachers to prepare for their visits, interactive posters on global supply chains, and an interactive quiz in the style of a game show, including a manual and game instructions.

The main project day took place at MCI. A second-grade class from BAfEP Kettenbrücke visited, accompanied by two teachers. The students guided the pupils through the World House exhibition and the interactive stations they had developed themselves. The presentation was bilingual in German and English in order to involve everyone and at the same time highlight the global nature of the topic of nutrition. At various stations, the pupils actively engaged with questions relating to nutrition, global supply chains, and consumption.

The interactive posters on the supply chains of cocoa and beef were particularly well received, as was the quiz “Save the Planet – MillionenShow Edition,” which conveyed knowledge in a playful way and encouraged participants to think for themselves. The content was prepared by the students in an age-appropriate manner, explained in an understandable way, and conveyed through dialogue. The focus was on direct exchange. Another station was dedicated to the topic of conscious eating. For this, the students organized food donations with the support of regional partners.

Special thanks go to Welthaus Innsbruck for providing the content for the exhibition and for their valuable cooperation, as well as to the partners who donated food - Kandlerhof, SoLaWi des Vereins Emmaus, and Käse Tirol - for their support on the day of the exhibition and for the high quality of the food they provided. A big thank you also goes to BAfEP Kettenbrücke for visiting, showing interest, and engaging in lively discussion, as well as to the project group that planned, designed, and implemented this exhibition day.