UNC hosted the final Real Food Challenge regional summer leadership training, in partnership with the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) and UNC’s very own student organization, FLO Foods. Over Labor Day weekend, 20 youth leaders from North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee gathered in Chapel Hill to learn and share Grassroots organizing strategies and skills. Workshops included Communication & Messaging, Strategic Campaign Planning, Deconstructing Racism, Stakeholder Meetings & Coalition Building, and The Real Food Calculator. We were proud to welcome Dorothy Barker, our keynote speaker, who shared stories about her personal experiences with racism in Southern agriculture.
After arriving in town on Friday the group gathered for introductions and personal explorations of what “Real Food” means to us. Saturday was packed with skill and issue workshops, punctuated by long intervals for hanging out over wonderful meals cooked by RAFI’s very own Sally Lee. Saturday evening the group settled into a storytelling workshop that led us into long conversations late into the night. On Sunday we jumped into a simulation “roll play” exercise in which small groups rotated through situations to practice messaging to five different targets: a chicken farmer, an oppositional student group, a reporter, a new student, and a campus dining administrator. We concluded the weekend with a long period of open space for thoughtful reflection and next steps.
The North Carolina training mixed up a fascinating combination of individual stories and experiences with concrete skills and strategies. Passion for Real Food in the Southeast is strong- and getting stronger through our interactions with each other. We are looking forward to the upcoming 3rd Annual Southeast Youth Food Activism Summit (SYFAS)!
