To the editor:

Another North Country Food Day Youth Summit has come and gone and the GardenShare team is still buzzing with excitement.

The Food Day Youth Summit is a biennial event hosted by GardenShare. Teams from schools from across Northern New York were invited to share in a day of speakers, workshops, action planning and more. The hope is that the team will come prepared to create an action plan for a food related project in their school or community.

This year’s keynote speaker was Dominic Frongillo, internationally recognized for his work on clean energy; he was also one of the youngest elected officials in the state. He was an inspiring speaker specifically to young students. In his talk about climate change, he compares the strength of methane green house gas emissions to Dave’s Insanity sauce, a well-received joke in the audience.

Later he acts out a scene from Lord of the Rings while speaking specifically about the impact of climate change on agriculture and vice versa. He ends with words about “the power of every day people,” encouraging the students to “do what you can with what you have where you are.”

After, students attended workshops on food issues, careers, and leadership; learning tools that will help them make an impact in their home communities. Before leaving they completed an Action Plan, laying out a timeline for their project proposals. This years projects include school gardens, taste testing, and cooking workshops, all with the hopes of creating a sustainable appreciation for nutrition and good food in their schools. Keep your eyes open for what these teams accomplish!

Thank you to all of the volunteers, the workshop presenters, and supporters who made this program possible, including the Northeast Agricultural Education Foundation, the JM McDonald Foundation, the Upper New York Conference of United Methodist Women, the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, the Canton Community Fund, Farm Credit East, the Adirondack Foundation, and the UPS Store.

Learn more about the North Country Food Day Youth Summit and the projects schools are undertaking as a result at www.gardenshare.org

Gloria McAdam

Executive Director at GardenShare