Call for Workshops: Taking Root: Fifth National Farm to Cafeteria Conference

Posted by on December 21, 2009

CALL FOR WORKSHOP AND POSTER PROPOSALS

“Taking Root: Fifth National Farm to Cafeteria Conference”
Detroit, Michigan, May 17 – 19, 2010

Presented by:
The National Farm to School Network
The Community Food Security Coalition
The Center for Food & Justice, Occidental College

Proposal Period: December 15 – January 15
No proposals will be accepted after January 15

Submit proposals at http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/5e

The National Farm to School Network seeks proposals for workshops and a poster session at its 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit, Michigan, May 17 – 19, 2010.

Presentation Formats
We are accepting proposals for the following presentation formats:

a.   Poster Session
b.   Workshop Sessions (90 minutes)

Workshop and Poster Session: Topics
Please note that the overarching goal of the conference is to include information on all forms of institutional food purchasing. The majority of topics below are meant to apply to Farm to Cafeteria in its broadest sense, including but not limited to K-12 schools, pre-schools, day care centers, colleges, hospitals, prisons and other institutions.

* Distribution, processing, and infrastructure development
* Farm to cafeteria as a “green” issue
* Experiential education including field trips, cooking classes, schools gardens, college farms, and curriculum development
* Youth-led initiatives
* Food service-led initiatives
* Grassroots voices, community initiatives
* Advocacy at the local, state, regional and/or national level
* 2010 Child Nutrition Authorization: issues, framing, collaborations, outcomes
* Food safety issues, concerns and innovative approaches
* Farm to cafeteria as economic development
* Research and evaluation
* Grant writing and funding for farm to cafeteria
* State-level farm to cafeteria policies – what’s worked, what hasn’t, innovative ideas
* Farm to cafeteria and public health issues
* How to make farm to cafeteria work for farmers
* Skill building, such as facilitation skills, community assessments, survey design, etc.
* Food service, farmers, price and profit
* Farm to cafeteria – a social justice agenda
* Farm to school and wellness policies
* Farm to Cafeteria work and issues in the Great Lakes region
* How to work with institutional buyers
* The role of Farm to Cafeteria in healthy eating campaigns and nutrition messaging
* Public private partnerships – what works, what doesn’t
* Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food – USDA efforts around Farm to School
* Changing scale from local to regional – when it is needed, how it is done

Poster Session
In addition to those listed above, topics may include results of evaluations or studies, describe a new farm to cafeteria program or approach, or describe and/or analyze an experiential learning component of farm to cafeteria.

Session format
Workshop Sessions: Interactive sessions that provide opportunities for significant audience participation are encouraged. These sessions may include individual or group role playing, small group work, or hands-on tasks.  Power point presentations are not required, and if used, we encourage a creative approach.  We are cognizant that people learn in different ways and encourage a variety of workshop interactions and approaches.

We are also seeking workshops that build specific skills such as grant writing, policy advocacy, facilitation, working with farmers, working with children etc.  Sessions that lead to a specific outcome, that are linked to the activities of the National Farm to School Network, or that build the farm to cafeteria movement, are also desired. We encourage session organizers to include a diverse group of leaders, such as youth, farmers, food service staff and community members. Introductory and advanced level workshops are also welcome. Since we have a limited number of workshop slots, we urge workshop planners to avoid proposing workshops that only highlight a specific program, instead we suggest connecting with similar programs from across the country to create a more comprehensive joint workshop on the topic.  These workshops will be given priority during the review process. If you need assistance in identifying projects to co-present with, please contact Marion Kalb at marion@foodsecurity.org or 505-474-5782.

Audience
Expect a very diverse audience in terms of occupation. Attendees typically include food service, policy-makers, public health workers, farmers, environmentalists, community based organization advocates, community residents, parents, school administrators, nutritionists, teachers, sustainable agriculture advocates, food system representatives, researchers/academics, students, funders, and others engaged in building a sustainable food system. Please try to use plain language and limit the use of acronyms and jargon to make your session accessible to all participants.

Session details
Workshop sessions will be 90 minutes in length. Expect approximately 30-50 attendees per workshop session.

Submission  of Proposals and Deadlines
Please go to http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/5e/ to submit your proposal online. Deadline is January 15, 2010.

Audio-Visual
We will contact you regarding your AV needs, if your session is chosen.

Registration Fees
Up to three presenters per workshop are entitled to a 50% discount off their registration fees (excluding field trips and short courses). Poster session presenters do not receive a discount.  Presenters that want to attend their session only can do so free of charge. All presenters must register for the conference.

Travel Costs
Presenters should plan on covering their own travel costs to participate in the conference.

You’ll Hear Back From Us Soon
Submission of a proposal is not a guarantee of its acceptance.  All proposals will be reviewed by a planning committee.  Notification of your proposal’s status will be provided by February 15, 2010. Please contact Emily Becker (emily@foodsecurity.org) if you have not heard from us by this date.

For information concerning workshop content, please contact Marion Kalb at marion@foodsecurity.org, 505-474-5782.

For information on the submission process, please contact Emily Becker at emily@foodsecurity.org or 503-954-2970.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

1.  Please describe session type: (circle one)

Workshop – 90 minutes                                    Poster Session
Please answer all questions.                                    Please answer questions 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 & 10.

2.  Please provide the name, address, zip code, e-mail address and phone number for the primary
presenter/organizer, and a short bio, 50 words or less.

3.  Please provide the names, affiliations and emails of other presenters.

4. Please provide a title for your session / poster, 10 words or less

5.  Please provide a summary of your proposed session in no more than 50 words for use in the conference brochure. Provide information regarding format of presentation – lecture, small group, panel, activity-based, and how speakers will engage participants attending the workshop.

6.  Please provide a description of your session in no more than 150 words.

7.  List two to three objectives describing how participants will benefit from this session and what tools, skills or message(s) participants will “take home.” Learning outcomes should be action statements describing what participants will be able to do as a result of the experience, usually defined in terms of knowledge, skills, or attitudes. Statements should complete the following statement with observable and measurable verbs: “After this presentation, the attendee will be able to…”

8.  Describe desired audio-visual needs.

9.  Skill Level of Presentation Content:
Conference attendees are typically looking for focused sessions that deliver new information or knowledge.  Please state which level your session addresses.

* Basic: Assumes little or no prior knowledge of area(s) covered. The focus of the activity is to increase knowledge of the participant.

* Intermediate: Assumes a general knowledge of the area(s) covered. The focus is to enhance knowledge of the participant.

* Advanced: Assumes thorough knowledge of the area(s) covered. The focus synthesizes recent advances, research, new initiatives, and future directions.

10. I understand that it is the obligation of all workshop and poster presenters to cover their registration fees and travel costs. Up to three presenters per workshop are eligible for a 50% discount on their registration fees.  Presenters may also apply for a scholarship. I have communicated this to all presenters in my proposed session.

(Please initial.)

Submit proposals online at http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/5e.
On-line submission is strongly preferred.

If you are unable to submit online, please mail to Emily Becker, CFSC, 3830 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202.  Submissions must be received by January 15, 2010.