Fall 2022

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a refreshing summer and that your back to school start up has been going smoothly. It has almost seemed surreal to me to head back to a year that felt kind of “normal” again. 

This summer, the International Journal of Home Economics published a special issue on decolonizing home economics. Home economics specialists from around the globe contributed to this important topic, including THESA executive member Madeline Wong. You can visit the journal’s website here to read what was shared and pondered on regarding this relevant and important issue.

As the school year gets into motion, I’m piecing together what my courses are going to look like this semester. I was excited when one of our school’s Indigenous Studies teachers shared this post featuring three celebrated podcasts centered around Indigenous food from @redhouseseries. I thought I would pass it along to you in case you or your students might be interested this year. 

“The Native Seed Pod from @CulturalConservancy is a podcast that explores and celebrates Native foodways, ancestral seeds, and the Traditional Ecological Knowledge needed to renew the health of the Earth and all our relations. From planting songs to cultural foodscapes, they highlight the importance of protecting and restoring agrobiodiversity and food sovereignty to sustain resilient communities.

After contact, Indigenous foodways and knowledge were devastated, nearly destroyed and replaced with foods that are far from the people. So today, @ToastedSisterPodcast is talking to Native chefs and foodies about what Indigenous cuisine is, where it comes from, where it’s headed and how it’s used to connect them and their communities to their origins and traditions.

The Spirit Plate podcast from @whetstonemagazine is an honoring of all the Indigenous communities across Turtle Island (also known as North America) who are working to preserve and revitalize their ancestral foodways. Within the growing Indigenous food movement lies an incredible story of reclamation and intertribal solidarity; powerful yet untold examples of Native peoples resisting and thriving. Spirit Plate is a space for Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island to tell their own history and shape the narrative of their communities—especially as it relates to land and our relationships to food. Through interviews with seedkeepers, chefs, farmers and community members, this podcast will share what food justice and sovereignty looks like for Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.”

This fall we have our first in-person THESA conference in three years being held on October 21st. I hope you have had time to register for the  2022 THESA Conference “Let’s Dig In!” at La Salle College Vancouver. I can’t wait to reconnect in person with THESA members there.  The sessions look outstanding - I had a lot of trouble deciding what sessions to attend myself! For those of you who will not be able to make it in person, there is a hybrid option available to you, as well. Thank you again to Rachel Labossiere and Jocelyn Deck for hosting this hands-on conference in partnership with La Salle College! Register here if you haven’t yet: thesaconference.ca. If hosting a future THESA conference is something you or your local chapter are considering, please get in touch with me or another executive member to talk about this exciting opportunity. 

We are grateful for your membership and hope you’re taking advantage of what THESA has to offer you. Our website thesa.org offers links to resources, to our social media outlets, and even ways that THESA can provide financial support! Are you a part of a local chapter/specialist association? If yes, THESA wants to support you! Register with THESA and apply for a grant up to $500. The grant can be used to support your local and their professional development. You can find more information on our website here. 

The THESA executive will continue to support you this school year behind the scenes. We will be attending Provincial Specialist Association meetings with the BCTF and ensuring our unique home economics voices are heard. We have exciting curriculum development happening and we are looking at proficiency scales and ways we can support members with transitions in assessment. Please reach out if you have questions or can think of ways that the THESA executive can support you and your colleagues. 

I wish you all the best in your 2022/23 school year! 

Melissa Edstrom

THESA President