Food Justice & Policy
Chicago Food Policy Action Council
Urban Growers Collective is actively involved in the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC), which facilitates the development of responsible policies that improve access for Chicago residents to culturally appropriate, nutritionally sound, and affordable food that is grown through environmentally sustainable practices. The CFPAC is a network of organizations and individuals sharing their experiences and concerns about food security in the Chicago region in order to influence policy makers to make informed decisions motivated by the goals of community food security.
Intensive Leadership and Facilitator Training
The Intensive Leadership and Facilitator Training (ILFT) is designed to build a community of leaders and provide intensive training and dialogue for participants to facilitate anti-racist food justice in their own programs and communities. We use the title Facilitator instead of Organizer very intentionally. We will discuss the long-term development process that anti-racism work requires and the need for leadership development and empowerment. Another goal of ILFT is to build regional GFJI “network chapters” that we call a LEG (Local Empowerment Group). LEGs create space for others who are dedicated to facilitating change to connect and develop a supportive local, national, and international community to exchange ideas, strategize, and continue training in anti-racism to specifically address how achieving food justice can lead to the end of systemic and institutional racism.
During our trainings, we explore:
Examples of institutional and structural racism and how it operates;
Practical applications of facilitating change and becoming a change agent, including some personal identification to understand the kind of facilitator you are; and
Opportunities to explore the individual role in the anti-racism process of your work with the opportunity to strategize with others to develop an action plan for next steps for implementation
If you are interested in hosting an ILFT training in your city, email us at info@urbangrowerscollective.org.