Southwest

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Taking Root: A Southwest Sustainable Food Summit

Tempe, AZ, February 11-13

***REGISTRATION is still OPEN for programming! Registration for meals is CLOSED.  See below for updated registration fee rates.***

All around us, movement is growing.  

On college campuses, students are asking for fair trade food, that their food service workers are being treated well, and that access to healthy and sustainable food be increased. Elementary school students in South Phoenix are working and learning in their school's garden. 

At the University of Utah, students are growing food for their university's dining hall, the farmers market, and community food pantries.

Across the Southwest, youth are standing up for food justice.

Taking Root: A Southwest Sustainable Food Summit will be the first youth food justice convergence in the history of the Southwest —uniting over 150 high school students, college students, and other young allies for three days.

Why?
This event will:

  • Unite a diverse coalition of young leaders across lines of age, race, class, and geography
  • Ignite food justice and sustainability organizing and activism throughout the Southwest with new ideas, tactics, and opportunities.
  • Shine a light on this diverse, youth-driven movement.

What? 
This event will include: 

  • Speeches from movement leaders, youth activists, and producers.
  • Workshops with role-plays, activism trainings, and interactive activities.
  • Opportunities Fair with info on university programs, fair trade and local food companies, community organizations, and more! 

Who?

  • College clubs, teen youth groups, and young movement makers from Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. 
  • Whether you’re new to the food movement or have already dug in, this event is a great opportunity to learn more, get connected and take action!

 

When and Where?

  • Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ in the Farmer Education Building
  • February 11-13, 2011

 


Registration + Payment:

***You MUST complete both steps to register***

*STEP one: Fill out the Online Registration Survey here.

*STEP two: Click the button below to pay your registration fee. Please note that there are different payment options. Select the appropriate option below.

Registration Fee Options

Since regular registration closed on Tues., 2/8, registration fee rates for Saturday programming have increased $5!

Your registration is not complete until you've filled out the registration form AND paid your fee. Scholarships are available - email Kim to learn more (kmpears1@asu.edu).

~~~~~

If you are interested in TABLING at the Summit, please email Kim (kmpears1@asu.edu). You will also need to pay a small fee, depending on the type of organization you represent. Please select the appropriate fee from the drop-down menu below:

Tabling Fee Options


You MUST pay the tabling fee if you want to table at the summit!
 

Fundraising:

Visit usft.org/resources/fundraising for the full guide!

Raising money to cover your group's registration and travel costs can seem like a daunting task. But when you split it up, raising $300 (for example) just means asking 30 people for $10 each. Not bad, huh? Our advice is to be confident. Practice your pitch. Feel good about what you're fundraising for. Studies have shown that seven out of ten people in the U.S. give to worthy causes when asked (even if it's just a small amount), so be proud that you are giving people the opportunity to help their community.

 



Summit Schedule:

(full schedule is posted at usft.org/southwestsummit/schedule)

The conference will run from 4pm Friday the 11th to 12pm on Sunday the 13th, and will feature national speakers from the realms of fair trade, real food, and labor activism in order for students to gain organizing skills to be able to run a Fair Trade University and/or Real Food Challenge Campaign on their campus. Meanwhile, academics, businesspeople, and others specializing in food systems will present on their areas of expertise, in topics such as workers rights, international trade, and urban agriculture in the food system. At the end of the conference, students and allies will come away with a vision that includes tangible steps to lead Fair Trade University and Real Food Challenge campaigns to better their university's food system.

 

Friday:
Afternoon - Check-in from 4-5:45 at ASU Tempe
Evening - Dinner, Speeches, Fun

Saturaday:
Morning - Breakfast, Welcome, Workshop
Afternoon - Lunch/Opportunity Fair, Workshops
Evening - Keynote, Dinner, Movies, Entertainment

Sunday:
Morning - Breakfast, State Break-Outs, Workshop
Afternoon - Opportunity Fair, Workshops
Evening - Movies, Entertainment, Mixers


Skills: Fair Food Now!: Becoming a Fair Trade University, Piloting the Real Food Calculator, Farm to Cafeteria, Organizing 101, Organizing v.2.0, Empowering a Student Food Cooperative on Your Campus, Edible Education: Growing the School Gardens Revolution, and more.

Topics: The SW Foodshed in National Context, The International Political Economy on Food Production and Consumption, Mexican Farmers' Responses to the Global Food System, the New Economy Working Group, Stories on International Food Production, Animals and the Food System, and more.

 

Housing, Food and Other Logistics

(More Details Coming Soon!)

Housing: If you need free housing in Tempe, on and off-campus ASU students are offering up their homes. Indicate whether you need housing in the registration form.

Food: Your registration fee will cover Dinner on Friday, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Saturday, and Breakfast on Sunday.

Transportation and Directions to Campus: Transportation and Directions to Campus: If flying in, take the Sky Harbor Airport Shuttle to the Light Rail stop at 44th St. and Washington. Then, take the Light Rail east to the Veteran's Way and College stop in Tempe, which is less than 1/2 a mile from the Matthews Center, where check-in will be from 4-5:45pm on Friday the 11th. Find the Matthews Center on the ASU Tempe map, here: http://www.asu.edu/map/interactive/. If you cannot check-in by that time, the rest of the conference will be held in the Farmer Education Building, which you can also find on the map.

What to Bring (a partial list):

  • Stuff to sleep in (blankets, sleeping bag, pillow, etc.)
  • Toiletries (tooth brush, toothpaste, etc.)
  • aterials on your work to show & share (posters, fliers, school papers, petitions, artwork, brochures etc.)
  • Musical Instruments
  • Friends (make sure they register first!!)
  • DO NOT BRING ANY DRUGS OR ALCOHOL -- Anyone found with or using any drugs or alcohol during the conference will immediately be asked to leave

 


Call for Proposals:

Call for Proposals

Lead a workshop at the Summit! We're looking for YOU to present what you got at the summit!

Deadline for Workshop Proposals: January 14th, 2011 [note: date has been changed]

Share the story of how your group changed your school's cafeterias. Teach others how to grow their own food. Tell us what it takes to start a youth-run business. Explain what "the farm bill" is, and how we can affect federal legislation. Lead a poetry-writing session. It's all fair game!

***We're intentionally looking for a diverse array of workshops (both in content and style) and workshop presenters. Don't be shy! Workshops are meant to be Practical, Informative and Fun. Teen-led workshops especially encouraged.***

If you'd like to present, email southwestcoordinator@asu.edu with a proposal explaining your background and experience, the topic you wish to present on, its relation to food system sustainability/equity, the method of presentation (workshop, lecture, panel, etc.), any technical or material requirements, and some of the general information you would communicate.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: Taking Root highly recommends a "popular education" style of teaching. This means that workshops should be facilitated using techniques that promote interaction and discussion with audience members. This can be done through educational games, presenting questions for group discussion, case studies, small group activities and presentations. Proposals must be designed to celebrate the participation of both teachers and learners who are actively engaged in thinking and contributing. Workshops should focus on dialogue and mutual interaction, excluding sole lecture-style presentations.


USFT is a national network of student organizations advocating around Fair Trade principles, products, and policies. More info on USFT is available here: http://www.usft.org/

For more information, or to get involved, please contact Kim Pearson: kmpears1@asu.edu.