FOOD CHAlleNGE

When: 28 November- 5 December 2015

Where: Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Target Group: Youth Workers (project writers, trainers, facilitators)

Why this project?

In the current global food and environment crisis, we can make a difference through our food choices.
Since ages, our first concern as humans was to procure our food. Yet we are now living in times when one third of the world`s and half of Europe’s food production is thrown away without having been consumed, while still one in 9 people on Earth do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. Not only that, but food production has one of the biggest impact on the quality of our environment, and in order to last longer and look better, it contains ever more chemical additives.
At the European level, increasingly more efforts are being put in raising the awareness of the public towards more healthy and sustainable consumption choices. Active groups around the world are coming up with alternatives. The Slow Food movement is but one of them, striving to unite the pleasure of food with responsibility, sustainability and harmony with nature.
The CHALLENGE is how to promote such healthy alternatives and make slow food more accessible and more desired in local communities?

From where we stand, we see the education of young people (in NGOs, schools, etc.) as being one of the most powerful tools for changing and improving food consumption habits in local communities. To do so, the role of youth workers is crucial. Yet as youth workers, we need to make sure we have the appropriate capacity to work with young people on topics such as healthy life style, food choices, consumption preferences and other topics that build up such healthy concepts as slow food.

Aim of the project:
Through this project we seek to improve the specific knowledge of youth workers about responsible consumption and develop their skills of using non-formal education tools in raising awareness and promoting among young people the consumption of healthy food that doesn’t have a negative impact on environment and supports social equity.

Objectives:
- Developing the knowledge of 22 youth workers regarding the environmental, social and economic impact of our food choices.
- Developing the skills of youth workers in using specific non-formal education methods and games/tools when working with young people on topics related to responsible consumption of food.
- Facilitating the exchange of experiences and practices between youth workers in promoting responsible consumption habits among young people.

Main activities:
During the training the youth workers interested in this field will come together to share and learn:
- The link between our food choices and actual global problems (climate change, consumerism, biodiversity degradation, poverty, inequity in resource distribution)
- The environmental story of food through the whole life cycle of a product.
- The social story of food (ethics, working conditions, famine, social justice)
- Food and economy
- Food health and inner peace
After clarifying this concept, participants will share their experiences and develop together tools that can help in promoting these practices in their activities with young people.
In the last days of the training course participants will initiate common follow-up projects as part of a longer term strategy that kicked off during the CHAlleNGE seminar.
All activities will be based on non-formal education methods and the principle of common ownership of the project and process.

Expected outcomes:
- Increased understanding among participants regarding environmental, social, economic and health impact of our food choices.
- Improved skills of using non-formal education methods and tools of youth workers in transmitting and promoting the slow food concept towards young people in their local communities
- Strengthened partnership among partner organizations and built synergy with existing initiatives and projects resulted in joint projects.
- A Good Practice Handbook for NGOs addressing issues related to slow food. The presented initiatives will be selected from the countries of the selected partners
- A training toolkit with non-formal education methods and tools in the field of slow food.

Costs and Logistic: The food and accommodation will be covered fully. Travel costs will be covered according to the conditions stated in Erasmus plus programme.

Deadline: 17th of April
If you are interested, please send us an e-mail or a message on our Facebook page (see details below) with the following information:
1. A brief presentation of your NGO (100 words max)
2. Your interest and experience in the field of food choices and other connected topics
3. Three specific elements, subjects that you would like to be approached during our training program (e.g.: permaculture, education in schools, bio-farming, downshifting, circular economy and food, etc.)

E-mail src.romania@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/src.romania