This unique two-week program is designed for students who are interested in  local solutions to food justice issues found in our own communities. It is broken into two separate parts.

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The first week is an introduction to farms, organizations and local businesses that are tackling food justice issues including access to healthy food, regenerative agriculture and migrant justice. The second week is focused on service learning as we partner with the Vermont Community Garden Network. Projects we'll work on include the Family Room Garden's after-school program, UVM Medical Center's Culinary Medicine rooftop garden and the New Farms for New Americans urban farm and agroecology project.

 

You may opt out of the second week if you have summer classes or an internship, but you may not join the second week without participating in the first week.

 

You will be introduced to the concepts of food justice and agroecology by exploring food systems around Vermont's Champlain Valley. Meet farmers who are leading the charge for a better food future through practices such as agro-forestry, permaculture, experimental Japanese rice farming and rotational grazing.  You will learn about the globalized food industry, from Vermont migrant farmworkers who are fighting for fairer working conditions to local non-profits working for equitable food access. We will hear first hand how gardening and food affects health outcomes, and how a major healthcare center will be using culinary medicine for patients and employees.

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This program is an intensive and interactive opportunity to engage with the agricultural economy, and human, animal, and environmental health of Vermont through hands-on workshops, farm tours and service. ​We will also indulge in the pure beauty that the Vermont landscape provides. From the forested retreat space where we'll be spending our first few days to a killer viewpoint of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack mountains, you will witness a multitude of breathtaking landscapes.

 

Join us on this once-in-a-lifetime journey to explore how you can become an active citizen of the good food movement in your own community.