This session of the City Exchange Project focuses on the intersection between youth engagement and community food systems. Session participants talk about the work their respective organizations do with youth in food and farming systems and the successes and obstacles they encounter while undertaking this work.

1. City Exchange Project
Youth Engagement in Community Food Systems
February 4th, 2015

2. What is the City Exchange Project?
• The City Exchange Project idea sprung from a need to be able to
discuss issues and topics on food systems with other organizations
across the US.
• Many times, the only way inter-city dialogue is created between
staff/leaders of different community organizations is through
conference networking.
• The City Exchange Project seeks to electronically convene leaders from
across the country and engage them in relevant and useful
conversations on pressing and pertinent food systems issues from the
comfort of your own office.
Click above for CRFS website

3. Guiding Questions
• Please explain the work your organization does with youth as it
relates to food systems or how your org involves youth in its
food systems work.
• Age groups and demographics? Does your org have a specific focus
for youth-based work? e.g. at-risk youth, youth with
physical/emotional/mental disabilities, etc?
• Is there a specific focus of your involvement with youth and
community food systems – production, processing, sales/marketing,
culinary arts and related skills, community development,
recycling/composting), etc?
• Is this work part of a broader education program (e.g., part of a
school curriculum or a UW-Madison PEOPLE type program) or a
stand-alone initiative?

4. Guiding Questions
• Does your organization work to get youth into food
systems careers? If so how?
• Training, internships, higher ed opportunities, partnerships with
other orgs, academia, public school districts, city/state/federal
government?
• Does your organization hire as staff members youth that are/were
involved with the organization?
• What are the main obstacles you find in getting youth
interested in community food systems? What strategies do
you use to avoid or overcome these obstacles?
• What is the biggest opportunity you see through educating
youth on what community food systems are and how they
fit into those systems?

5. Facilitator
• George Reistad
• Assistant Policy Director – Michael Fields Agricultural
Institute
• Communications Coordinator – Community and Regional
Food Systems Project

6. Call Participants
• Lynette Richards – Metro High School Teacher (retired) – Cedar Rapids, IA
• Clint Twedt-Ball – Co-founder/Co-Executive Director - Matthew 25 – Cedar
Rapids, IA
• Lindsey Scalera – Grassroots Organizer – Michigan Voices for Good Food
Policy (NSAC) – Greater Detroit Area, MI
• Derek Steele – Health Equity Programs Director – Social Justice Learning
Institute – Los Angeles, CA
• http://bit.ly/1u7GGmF
• Rachel Surls - Sustainable Food Systems Advisor - Univ. of California
Cooperative Extension - Los Angeles County, CA
• Sutton Kiplinger – Greater Boston Regional Director – The Food Project –
Boston, MA
• Fiona Ruddy – Food Access Programs Director – Eastern Market – Detroit,
MI
• Mark Woulf – Food and Alcohol Policy Coordinator – City of Madison –
Madison, WI
• Carrie Edgar – Community Food Systems Department Head – Univ. of
Wisconsin Cooperative Extension – Madison, WI
• Venice Williams – Executive Director – Alice’s Garden – Milwaukee, WI

7. Lynette Richards
Lynette Richards – Metro High School Teacher - Cedar Rapids, IA (retired)

8. Clint Twedt-Ball
• Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director - Matthew 25 - Cedar Rapids, IA
www.hub25.org

9. I currently work for the National Sustainable
Agriculture Coalition as the Grassroots Organizer
for Michigan Voices for Good Food Policy.
Michigan Voices collaborates with NSAC
members and other food & farm allies to unite
and elevate Michigan grassroots voices in support
of policies that expand opportunities for rural
and urban farmers to produce good food, sustain
the environment, and contribute to healthy and
vibrant communities.
Michigan Voices for Good Food Policy -
http://bit.ly/migoodfood
LINDSEY SCALERA: BIO

10. Relevant notes about food systems & education
work I have been involved in
▪ I got my start in food systems work as co-
founder of the Giving Garden at Eastern
Michigan University, where I co-led a small
Summer Youth Garden & Farm Stand Program.
▪ Obtained a Masters Degree in Social Foundations
of Education, specializing in EcoJustice
Education from Eastern Michigan University.
▪ Created Masters project on Garden-based learning
(“Everybody Eats: Garden-Based Learning, Rooted in
Community”)
▪ I worked with the Southeast Michigan
Stewardship (SEMIS) Coalition from 2008 to
2011 serving on the Steering Committee and later
as Associate Director for Communications.
▪ Currently work with several educators around MI
on farm to school initiatives (we advocate for
federal funding and local/state/national support
for these programs)

11. Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition
http://semiscoalition.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/semiscoalition
Mission Statement
The SEMIS Coalition facilitates school-
community partnerships to develop students as
citizen-stewards of healthy ecological-social
systems.
Our Values and Guiding Principles
● A strong and viable Great Lakes ecosystem
includes human communities nested within and
interdependent with other diverse living systems
including water, soil, air, plant, and animal species.
● Stewardship of the Great Lakes in Southeast
Michigan is defined by the ability to connect with
and protect one’s “place.” This requires
collaboration with others, recognizing
connections to larger economic and political
systems, and understanding the impact of human
cultures on the ecosystems in which they are
nested.
Examples
of Youth
Engagement in
Southeast
Michigan

12. ● Mission and Guiding Values (Con.)
● Human cultures create beliefs and behaviors
that affect social and ecological systems. Thus,
social and ecological justice are interrelated
and must be addressed together.
● A sustainable Southeast Michigan depends
upon diversity—both human and ecological—
and is thus best served by strong democratic
and collaborative systems.
● A sustainable, productive, and vibrant
Coalition is founded on the assets, strengths,
and vision of its members.
SEMIS Schools & Community Partners:
Examples of YE
http://semiscoalition.org/member-directory/

13. Derek Steele
Health Equity Program Director - Social Justice Learning Center
Los Angeles, CA (Inglewood)
http://www.sjli.org/

14. Rachel Surls
Sustainable Food Systems Advisor – UC-Cooperative Extension – LA County, CA
http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/Sustainable_Food_Systems/

15. Sutton Kiplinger
Greater Boston Regional Director – The Food Project
http://thefoodproject.org/youth-programs

20. Fiona Ruddy
Food Access Programs Director – Eastern Market – Detroit, MI
http://www.detroiteasternmarket.com/

21. Mark Woulf
City of Madison Food and Alcohol Policy Coordinator
http://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/priorities/food.cfm

22. Carrie Edgar
Department Head & Community Food Systems Educator
Dane County Cooperative Extension
http://fyi.uwex.edu/danefoodsystem/

23. Venice Williams
Executive Director – Alice’s Garden – Milwaukee, WI
http://www.alicesgardenmilwaukee.com/