Calling out to emerging Food Leaders!
This Food Leader Certificate Program is for people who: want to be empowered as leaders in the food movement, either in their personal or professional lives; want to lead community events or projects that involve gardening or food issues; want to deepen their knowledge and/or skill set in food systems issues facing our communities today.
Join VGI’s Gretchen Mead and Jessy Servi for this exciting opportunity to participate in a one of a kind program that will help prepare you to be a food leader in your community. The program is designed to help you develop the skills and tools needed to design and implement food-related projects, create your own community of food growers, develop a school or a community garden, build your understanding of food systems issues and solution, growing food, and community organizing. A great resume enhancer in today’s market!
During this Program, we will discuss facets of food systems including:
- Social Justice
- Environmental Degradation
- Food Security & Food Sovereignty
- Health and wellness
- Food Localization
We will help prepare you to grow your own food and demonstrate how to enlist support for organizing your community. Additional conversation topics include: the stages of change, regenerative leadership, theories and techniques of community engagement/organizing and community based social marketing.
By participating in this program you will enhance your understanding of food systems issues and be introduced to solutions for yourself and your community. You will develop your leadership skills by participating in the planning and execution of one VGI project. With support and guidance from Gretchen Mead and Jessy Servi, you will chose one VGI project to assist in, which will allow you to apply the program information in action. Through the whole process you build community and a team of engaged leaders creating positive change in our communities!
Program Requirements:
- Program Kick Off Weekend Retreat: February 25th and 26th at Wellspring CSA in West Bend, WI – Overnight
- In this first session you will connect to your team, develop your understanding of Food Systems Issues, and build community for the purpose of engaging people in growing their own food
- Two, One-day sessions in spring – Dates TBD
- These sessions will be focused on Community Organizing techniques and theories
- Participation in the Edible Gardening for Sustainability (EGforS) Series (@UEC)
- One to two Saturdays a month from 9am-10:30am
- Participation depends on your gardening experience
- Class topics include:
- Introduction to Urban Permaculture Design
- Introduction to Permaculture & Urban Permaculture Design
- Garden Planning, Garden Design
- Plant Guild Basics
- Organic Pest & Disease Management
- Tree Pruning, Selection, and Planting
- Growing Greens, Succession Planting
- Season Extension
- Perennial Food Crops, including herbs
- Composting / Vermicomposting / Humanure
- Project Implementation: Mentors Gretchen Mead and Jessy Servi will support Food Leaders as they implement one VGI Project.
- Potential Projects may include:
- VGI Blitz Day
- Fruity Nutty campaign
- Tree planting in spring
- Eat and Meet
- Garden work day
- Co-teach garden classes
For more info contact Gretchen Mead at Gretchen.Mead@VictoryGardenInitiative.org or Jessy Servi at jessyservi@gmail.com.
The Food Leader Certificate program is being made possible in part by generous funding from the Wisconsin Community Fund.