For most participants, the Northwest Real Food Youth Convergence really started during the early morning hours of Friday, Feb. 12, when folks set out on the long trek to Missoula, Montana. Some carpooled from as far away as Seattle or Boulder, or from Portland via school bus. We took advantage of travel time wisely: homework, napping, making new friends, and of course, dance parties.
At right: Despite long distances traveled, the convergence brought together a super motivated group, shown here doing a rowdy closing circle: “Now step towards the center with a big Yee-haw!” “YEEEEEHAAAWWWWW!!!!”
As newcomers arrived the University Center at the University of Montana Friday evening, waves of energy came over the registration table as people approached and left donning their fanciful nametags. We kicked off Friday night with a comfortable, delicious meal of potpie and roasted vegetables, followed by some fast paced mixers where everyone bounced around providing goofy facts.
Saturday morning started bright and early: we awoke from our church slumber party to bumble towards the fresh brewed coffee smells in the UM University Commons. After breakfast, the group woke up and broke up to fill the abundant array of workshops, including "What is it and how are they run: Co-ops 101," "A Chicken on a Tractor? Exploring the problems, purpose, and practices of the Whitman College Organic Garden and its Chicken Tractor Project," and "Organizing a Real Food Campaign." During time between workshop sessions, students networked, shared ideas and laughed. There was no shortage of fun or energy throughout the day!
On February 12-14, over 200 students from 35 campuses gathered in Santa Cruz, California, for the third annual Strengthening the Roots: Food and Justice Convergence. The convergence brought together a diverse group of students – from aspiring farmers to animal rights activists to campus dining employees – who were committed to creating a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. This event empowered high school and college students to actively engage in their campuses and local communities by providing them with leadership skills, successful models and case studies, and a broader network of activists and allies.
On February 5, 2010, over a hundred and fifty students and youth from Maryland to Florida traveled through driving ice, snow, and rain to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the second annual Southeast Youth Food Activist Summit (SYFAS). Friday night, author/activist Anna Lappe from the Small Planet Institute delivered an inspiring Keynote Address on the effects of our current industrial food system on climate change and personal health and the importance of the youth food movement for creating a more socially just and environmentally sustainable Real Food economy.
The first Southeast Youth Food Activist Summit (SYFAS), which happened from February 13-15, brought together over eighty students, youth activists and young farmers from six different states for a weekend of workshops, community building, real food and action! The summit was a collaborative effort on the part of many groups, including The Real Food Challenge, FLO Food (Fair, Local, Organic), a student group at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Crop Mob, an organization of young farmers in Central NC. On the first night of the summit participants got to hear from Ellie Kinnaird, a state senator who has worked long and hard for social justice in North Carolina. She encouraged students to get organized and to lobby public officials on food justice issues, emphasizing that we needed to take the future into our own hands!
On March 7-8, 125 students gathered at Maharishi University in Fairfield, Iowa for the Midwest Real Food Challenge Summit. They built coalitions and strengthened their voice as students working for bold changes to our food system, most specifically in their college and university dining services. When asked whether their campuses were at most 10 miles from an industrial agribusiness cornfield, if not within one, almost every student raised a hand. From a wide array of specific interests and backgrounds, the students came together around a common goal: real food.
For most participants, the Northwest Real Food Youth Convergence really started during the early morning hours of Friday, Feb. 12, when folks set out on the long trek to Missoula, Montana. Some carpooled from as far away as Seattle or Boulder, or from Portland via school bus. We took advantage of travel time wisely: homework, napping, making new friends, and of course, dance parties.
On February 12-14, over 200 students from 35 campuses gathered in Santa Cruz, California, for the third annual Strengthening the Roots: Food and Justice Convergence. The convergence brought together a diverse group of students – from aspiring farmers to animal rights activists to campus dining employees – who were committed to creating a healthy, just, and sustainable food system. This event empowered high school and college students to actively engage in their campuses and local communities by providing them with leadership skills, successful models and case studies, and a broader network of activists and allies.
On February 5, 2010, over a hundred and fifty students and youth from Maryland to Florida traveled through driving ice, snow, and rain to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the second annual Southeast Youth Food Activist Summit (SYFAS). Friday night, author/activist Anna Lappe from the Small Planet Institute delivered an inspiring Keynote Address on the effects of our current industrial food system on climate change and personal health and the importance of the youth food movement for creating a more socially just and environmentally sustainable Real Food economy.
