The Lunch Love Community by far is my second favorite site we’ve seen in this class after the Interview Project. Though I don’t identify with children since I don’t have kids or young relatives who live here, I am still interested in this awesome project and what it gives to the community. The Concept and message was clear “ If you don’t like things in your community, let’s do something about it.” I was wondering if this project is only in Berkeley or is it already being expanded to other major cities successfully since it has been successful in Berkeley for a decade now? I’m saying this because I see some events taking place in Oregon, and was wondering if these events were meant to just tell people about the project or to make them go in the same direction as the city of Berkeley did?
As far as the web design, I thought it was simple and cute. The colors gave it that worm feeling to emphasis it’s a project about improving our children’s lives. However, the burgundy color in the background was out of the blue, because the whole site was blending together light orange, yellow, and green. Also, the site kind of lacks a logo. May be a seed looking logo would be good inspired from “The whole world in a small seed”, which I thought was great. I also thought the words style throughout the site was great. By showing some words bigger than others and in different colors it gave those key words more emphasis and made them look more artistic as oppose to normal bold text that everyone uses in their sites.
The content and especially the videos in the film tab were really nicely shot. At first glance I thought it was a photo gallery, but then I realized it’s a video. I like the idea of the slide show. It’s nicer and easier than scrolling down the page to look for other videos. I also like how they are short and right to the point, which made me watch one after another from the slideshow.
In the site I see that the audience engagement measured through sharing the web content by using social media sites to spread out the word, or going to the resources and contacting those schools or organizations. But how do children get engaged and motivated about this project? In other words, what I saw is adults taking the initiatives to transform their children to a better and healthier lifestyle, but is there a way children in other cities or schools could be exposed to watch these films so they get motivated to volunteer in school gardening and eat healthy, as oppose to following their parents or teachers’ orders.
Finally, what if somebody likes the project and wants to work or volunteer in the film crew? Is it through Citizen film and Media Working Group sites? I ask because all projects and organizations were hyperlinked except these productions companies, which I see in all pages in the bottom, but I couldn’t click on them and be redirected to their sites, and I was wondering if that was intentional.
I don’t know how closely Portland’s school lunch program is similar to Berkeley’s. However, I know that they have a vibrant farm-to-school program. There is one elementary school in Portland Public School district that serves as the sort of launching point where food goes there first, chef creates recipes, then shares with other schools, and they change week to week based on the season and what produce is coming in. That chef was invited to the White House for one of Michelle Obama’s food and kids events. You can google Portland and farm to school for more info.
Also, some schools have vibrant gardens and some teachers incorporate the gardens into the curriculum very thoroughly. Some high schools have little farmer’s markets where they sell their produce, too. My husband, a h.s. teacher, introduced our family to ground cherries from one of these markets; they’re awesome. I have never heard of them but they were little things, looked like cherry tomatoes, had a kind of papery cover like a tomatillo, but tasted a bit like a pineapple.
wow The website’s design , with its warm colors and thoughtful layout, creates a welcoming atmosphere that aligns perfectly with the project’s mission. Your suggestion of incorporating a seed-inspired logo is brilliant and could add a symbolic touch to represent the idea of growth and positive transformation.