For the Dalhousie Gazette.
For the first time, a national assembly on food took place in Atlantic Canada.
Food leaders from across Canada met in Halifax last week for the Waves of Change: Sustainable Food for All National Assembly.
From farmers and fishers to policy makers, activists and entrepreneurs, leaders from all across Canada brought their expertise to the up-and-coming leaders of the country’s food movement.
“We wanted to bring in mentors … to come and share their experiences with us. To not only learn from us, but for them to learn from us too,” said Sarah Archibald, an organizer of Food Security Canada Youth Caucus.
Participants at the three-day event attended seminars on topics based around food justice.
“Everybody [who came] to the event is a leader in a way, and has a voice and a really important perspective,” said Archibald, a program manager with the Meal Exchange hunger charity.
The Food Secure Canada Youth Caucus was held at Dalhousie’s Student Union Building on the final day of the events. Assembly participants were joined by people aged 30 and under with an interest in food security.
Everyone involved at the free event participated in discussions while eating a healthy meal that was provided. The turnout was higher than organizers expected, with more seats needing to be brought to the meeting room.
“We wanted to make one space open to all,” said Archibald. “Everyone has a stake in food, and I think it’s so important to hear all voices.”
The Youth Caucus saw ten young leaders facilitating ten conversations with experienced and emerging leaders in the field.
The conversations were based around the issues the youth caucus is dedicated to: achieving zero hunger, creating and managing sustainable food systems, and healthy and safe food being accessible to all.
Another goal of the youth caucus is to ensure that young people are given a voice in key decisions surrounding food.
“We ensure youth representation in Food Secure Canada’s decision-making processes and throughout its networks,” said Brynne Sinclair-Waters, an organizer of the caucus.
The youth caucus is committed to continuous outreach, and Sinclair-Waters notes that they “recognize the strength of engaging youth from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences.”
“We hold regular conference calls and will be charting out our future projects in the coming months, so it is an exciting time to join,” she added.
The assembly was organized by Food Secure Canada and FoodARC, who worked in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Food Security Network and the Atlantic Canada Organic Regional Network (ACORN).
