Midwest Real Food Summit 2011

Midwest Real Food Summit 2011: Urban Food Systems in Development
Northwestern University, Chicago, Feb. 18 - 20.

Food is culture, food is community. It is what unites us, sharing a meal together. However, the system that produces and distributes and controls food in this country is flawed. The Midwest is the epicenter of our commodity food system and as students learning in midwest institutions we have the responsibility and the power to educate ourselves and those around us about the issues in the modern U.S. food system. That's where this summit comes in!

Jump to:
What to expect
Workshops and Field Trips
Nuts and Bolts
Registration & Payment [REGISTRATION CLOSED]
More information

What to expect
This year we're trying something new. Instead of gathering students and putting them in classrooms to learn about the issues facing us today, we're going out on the town and learning about the issues first hand. We are seeking to find out what a modern, urban, and sustainable food system can look like in the third largest city in the U.S. - Chicago.

Hands-on Learning
To get the whole story, we will observe, participate, and engage with specific aspects of the system that are working to make a change. Here are some example focus areas:

Food Service Meet with food service employees and see how food gets onto students' plates. Hear their stories and learn how you can help them create a better environment in institutional food service operations.

Nutrition Can we feed the world and what can we feed them? We hope to further the discussion on the health impacts of GMOs and on helping developing nations create their own just and sustainable food systems.

Urban Farming Our cities are only going to get bigger. How can we bring fresh, healthy, and local food to people who are miles away from the nearest farm? Bring the farm to the people. Learn how Chicago is becoming one of the biggest urban farm centers in the U.S. and see the difference urban farming makes in the lives of city-dwellers.

Community
The only way we can learn from each other is to share our experiences. Throughout the summit we will facilitate storytelling as a way to share ideas. As we learn in small groups, we will share with the large group in an attempt to create a Master Midwest Story. In addition, we're working to bring in professionals, already involved in the food movement, to add to the story and to share experiences they have with working in the food system.

Activism & Education
After the summit, we want you to head back to your campuses and apply what you learn at the summit in order to create a better food system in your community.

Workshops and Field Trips
As part of our hands-on learning plan, we're putting together a schedule full of awesome workshops and field trips. Take a look at the list below for a sampling!

Workshops

Heather Larson and Laura Goetsch – The Human Cost of Food Production: Farm Workers and You #1
Danny Burke – Federal Nutrition Programs and Hunger (SAT only)
Dennis Ryan – Food Justice, Food Stamps, and Farmer’s Markets (SAT only)
Kyle Schafer - Stir It Up #1: At Work in the Kitchen: Dining Workers Share Their Stories
Greg Christian – Farm to School (SAT)
Jim Bloyd – Racism and the Food System (SAT only)
Veronica Avila - Restaurant Opportunity Center of Chicago: Food Workers
Julia Govis, Anupama Joshi– Ill Farm to School and Food Corp
Katie Blanchard – Strategic Campaign Planning

Field Trips

Shedd Aquarium and Sustainable Fisheries
Urban Farming with Chicago Botanic Garden’s Windy City Harvest
Youth Programs and Student Gardens with Urban Habitat
Live From the Heartland – Food as a Social Movement at the Heartland Cafe

Nuts & Bolts 
Where: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
When: February 18, 19, & 20, 2011 (Times to be announced)
More information on logistics coming SOON!

Registration and Payment Info
Registration is now CLOSED.

YOU MUST COMPLETE BOTH STEPS TO REGISTER:

Step 1: Registration is CLOSED! If you've already registered but haven't paid yet, you can still use the paypal button below to pay your fee.

Step 2: Pay your registration fee using the button below (be sure to select how much you're going to pay!):

Your registration is not complete until you've paid the registration fee.

Explanation of Price Levels:

***Registration is CLOSED! Thanks to everyone who's already registered--look out for emails from our planning team about the summit! If you haven't paid yet, please pay using the paypal button.***

$25: ONLY for students at Northwestern, our host school.
$30: For college or high school students (or youth not currently in school) who are paying for themselves.
$45: For students who are being sponsored by their college, university, or other entity (if your school is covering your registration fee, please pay at this rate).
$55: For everyone else (people who are not currently enrolled in school, and who are not youth). This includes teachers, professors, parents, etc.
$80 or $200: These levels provide extra support for the summit. They will go toward scholarships, honoraria, food, and other costs.

Note: We are committed to keeping the Midwest Summit open to everyone interested, regardless of your capacity to cover the registration fee. If this fee poses a hardship to you, please email Ashley (abswank@iastate.edu) for scholarship opportunities.

***IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS***

Please note that, because of high demand, we can ONLY accomodate up to 10 students per college/university. If 10 people from your school have already registered, and you want to come, please fill out the registration form WITHOUT paying. You will be placed on a waiting list. If less than 200 people register, we will begin contacting registrants on the waiting list on a first come, first served basis.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
VISIT http://midwestrfc.boardforum.ca/
EMAIL Ashley - abswank@iastate.edu or Pete - pjkerns@gmail.com

Midwest Real Food Summit 2011