Youth have vast learning abilities and creativity that should be played upon when developing sustainability model that include positive social change. In 2011, the Community Agroecology Network (CAN) developed a Youth Network for Food Security and Food Sovereignty (Jovenes SSAN) to promote youth leadership opportunities in order to involve younger generations create transformative food systems. The youth network has expanded from its coffee sites in Nicaragua and Mexico and has included university students from Veracruz and Quintana Roo. Connecting and training youth leaders across multiple project initiatives deepens knowledge and capacity, creating beneficial exchange and innovation within each of the associated communities. The youth network comes together annually as an 8 day conference known as Intercambio, (Exchange) which has become a platform for knowledge exchange on strategies and models for achieving food sovereignty. A similar food security initiative is being developed in Santa Cruz County. Last spring (2014) FoCAN held a local intercambio “Beyond Organic” in which they brought multiple workers in the food systems into one panel. 

Impacts 
The Youth Network has had four annual exchanges and two regional exchanges. In concluding the  intercambio, youth leaders have expressed a strong desire to continue expanding the youth network, receive more training in agroecology, and build stronger national and international ties.

Amah Mutsun Speaker Series
The Spirit of Resilience in the Face of Oppression

This Amah Mutsun Speaker Series will be held on May 10 at the UC Arboretum  from 12-5pm. The event will also be followed by a social where people can enjoy food and socialize with each other. Two native hip hop groups will also be present: Redstar (Wicahpiluta Candelaria) and AlmasFronteriazs. The guest speakers include: Lisbeth Haas, Professor of History and Chair of Feminist Studies, UCSC. Elias Castillo, author of the forthcoming book, A Cross of Thorns: The Enslavement of the California Indians by Spanish missions. This book presents irrefutable evidence regarding the brutal treatment of the Indians by the Franciscans. And the final guest speaker Lucio Ramirez, PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan Social Psychology program. This event is free for anyone to attend and we hope everyone can make it. 

THANK YOU to all those who came and participated in our "Beyond Organic: Narratives of our Local Food System" event!

Beyond Organic: Narratives of our Local Food System was the Friends of the Community AgroEcology Network's (FoCAN's) first Local Intercambio that focused on facilitating a space for dialogue surrounding fair labor practices and transparency in our local food systems.

Our vision was to include representatives from across the food system, including farm supervisor Bear from Swanton Berry Farm, farm workers Adilene, Jennifer, and Francisco from the Out of School Youth organization in Monterey County, Eloise, a female farmworker from the Center for Farmworker Families, and Victor Escobar owner of Chelitos' restaurant. The goal of the panel discussion was to clarify misconceptions about the meanings of organic production. This space provided a unique opportunity for the Santa Cruz and UCSC community to highlight the untold experiences, feelings, and ideas for innovation in the treatment of these people who work tirelessly to make our food available for consumption. 

Swanton Berry farm manager, Bear, shared how many times the resources of organic farms do not allow the owners to improve labor conditions such as providing restrooms that are close to the work areas or better wages than their conventional counterparts.The community was shocked to discover that although fruit on organic farms are firmer--making harvesting easier--the danger to pesticides exposure still exists. Another worker shared her story of jumping to pick blackberries, hoping that she did not damage them on her way down highlighting the mistreatment of those who practically feed us. Consumers of all ages eagerly requested information on where they could be part of the move to expand the conversation from simply how and where our food is grown to include who is producing our food. 


The FoCAN student team is entirely grateful for having the panel participants share their stories with the group and would like to let them know that this is just the beginning of the conversation. The insight from these diverse members of the community truly represents and highlight the amount of human power that exists in our food system. We would also like to thank Nancy Vail, co-founder of Pie Ranch, as our guest speaker who provided excellent insight on how to take a "holistic approach to food systems by ensuring fair treatment of workers, fair pricing for farmers, and fair business practice through Food Justice Certification". Also thank you to our collaborators: El Centro, Campus sustainability Council, Common Ground, India Joze, and the Community Agroecology Network for their full support.