Training and Empowering Food Advocates

To advance democratic participation in urban food systems, the Institute prepares individuals to become effective advocates. We engage young people in activities that help them reduce the promotion of unhealthy food in their communities.

We train young adults to advocate for food justice and partner them with community-based food justice organizations. And we research and help to advance participatory practices, from food plans to accessible food data, to enable ordinary people to engage in food planning and policymaking.

Projects

YOFE engages young people in reducing the demand for unhealthy food in their communities through “counter-marketing” campaigns and policy advocacy. These young people then bring these multi-media campaigns to their schools, youth organizations, peers, and families.

Partners

  • SCAN-New York
  • Union Settlement House
  • Upper Manhattan Food Coalition
  • New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
  • Mt Sinai Department of Adolescent Medicine

CUNY students with an interest in food justice receive training to become lifetime food advocates and a paid internship with food justice organizations.

Partners

  • Academic food programs at Hostos Community College
  • Kingsborough Community College

In collaboration with Healthy CUNY, the Institute prepares CUNY students to be Food Security Advocates and peer navigators of nutrition benefit programs like SNAP.

Partners

  • Healthy CUNY
  • Young Invincibles
  • Swipe Out Hunger
  • Hunger Free America
  • CUNY Offices of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs

Feed-NYC is creating an innovative source of food insecurity data to empower advocates, service providers, and government officials.

Partners

  • Hunger Free America
  • West Side Campaign Against Hunger
  • GrowNYC
  • Community Food Advocates
  • New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy
  • New York City Council
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism
  • CUNY Institute for State and Local Government

This project helps advocacy groups in the Hudson Valley and Eastern Long Island to create food equity plans and policies for their region.

Partners

  • New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy
  • East End Food Institute
  • Hudson Valley Food Systems Coalition