The Illinois 4-H Food Advocacy Team is the only statewide youth leadership team in Illinois that is dedicated to strengthening you as an advocate for food access for everyone in your community. The COVID-19 pandemic has made food security an even more urgent issue for many families. You can be a part of the solution. With the support of the Illinois 4-H State Office, you will network with food advocacy professionals, academic experts, and other young leaders; educate yourself on issues of community health, and assist in the planning of the annual Food Action Summit.
As an Illinois 4-H Advocacy Team member you will network with career and academic professionals to provide leadership for Illinois youth on how to engage their community in food access and food justice issues. Members will spark their interest and educate yourself about the future of food systems, collaborate to develop new approaches to large scale challenges and gain skills in event planning, program development and advocacy leadership.
Eligibility
For your application to be considered you must:
- Demonstrate participation in community service/service-learning events.
- Be enrolled in, or completed, your first year of High School. Must be 13+ in age.
- Fill out and submit this application no later than Friday, July 30th, 2021.
- Have a Reference Evaluation Form completed by a University of Illinois Extension staff member, school staff person, or a professional youth worker such as a youth pastor, teacher, or after-school program director.
Please direct any questions to Mark Becker at: mbbecker@illinois.edu
Benefits
Youth will learn the importance of partnering with others who share your goal of helping individuals and families by improving access to safe and nutritious food. As an advocate, you may be asked to speak in front of a stakeholder group on the importance of food access. You may be called upon to present your project to elected officials. You may need to ask for financial support from your community. All of these things can be uncomfortable. With the support of your team, challenge yourself to grow.
