Megan
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High Schoolers Explore Advocacy, Environmentalism, and Food Justice in Teen Leadership Summit
Volunteer Spotlight: Teen Leadership Summit
46 teens filed into the lobby of the Hunger Solution Center Wednesday morning. As most high-schoolers in the area were enjoying another day off for mid-winter break, these students were embarking on a day of volunteering and learning more about food insecurity as part of the Teen Leadership Summit.
During this one-day event, teens gained hands-on experience during a food repacking session in the warehouse, followed by workshops centered on advocacy, environmentalism, and food justice. The Summit was a follow-up program to the successful summer teen leadership pilot program, which took place over several weeks in July-August.
In a high energy morning repack session, students sorted 425 boxes of rice, 13,000 lbs of potatoes, and made 451 boxes to store future sorts.
Students enjoyed the mix of physical and administrative experience the programs have provided.
“I personally enjoyed physical activity in the warehouse, but I also learned how work gets done in an office environment because I also helped the front desk,” said Pavan, one of the Summit participants.
Workshops allowed a space for students to build on their knowledge of food systems, and gain a greater understanding of how to target the root causes of hunger. The Retail and Food Partnership Team led a workshop on the complexities of food networks and distribution, while the Advocacy Team led a workshop on how to use your personal story to advocate for policy changes that target the root causes of hunger.
“I learned a lot about how the inside of the organization works,” said Maggie. “We looked at mock schedules for food pickups and distributions, different centers. And that was really complicated. We were trying to design another one, a better one. And it was really difficult. So I learned that there’s a lot of intricacy in the whole process.”
“The advocacy workshop that I did that was really, really moving,” said Vedant. “It made me realize that advocacy is really important.”
Several of the teens who attended the Summit took time to sit down with us and share why they want to learn more about Food Lifeline’s mission, and why this kind of work is so important to them.
“The teen programs make you understand there are more people out there than just yourself and your own living situation. I’m lucky to be in a home where I can have a meal whenever and I know there are other people that don’t have that. So it helped me feel connected to the community.”
“This kind of work is important because it helps a lot of people in our community…Food is one of the most important things in life and Food Lifeline helps a lot of other food banks that help people who are really in need.”
Pavan
“I feel like not a lot of people understand how an organization like this really works. There’s a lot more behind all these things, and I think it’s good for teenagers to learn about it, too.”
Maggie
“I wish people knew that they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and a lot of people are struggling but they don’t see that they’re struggling. They just see the outside.”
Hayatt
“Meeting and connecting with like-minded people is really important. Food insecurity is a huge problem and you’re just one person…But when you come meet like-minded people, then it’s a community and you feel like there’s chance to solve this problem.”
Vedant
Given the success and interest in the programs, the Volunteer Engagement Team hopes to hold more teen programs going forward.
“Empowering our youth to lead within food justice efforts will be essential in developing real and impactful solutions to ending hunger,” said Madison Barbee, Volunteer Coordinator.
“We’re excited for the next generation of leaders to engage in our mission and learn more about hunger issues and how they can be an agent of change in their community,” added Kaila Korosec, Volunteer Coordinator.