FSNE Winter Series Week 4: Narrative Strategy for Food System Transformation

Recording of this session can be found here.

Chat transcript with links can be found here.

As we work to center democracy, racial equity, sustainability and trust in our food system, the stories we tell really matter. How can we better understand the power of the dominant cultural narratives around food that do not serve the people and places where we live? How might we displace those dominant narratives with stories that genuinely connect with values that people hold around democratic decision-making, power sharing & shifting, and sustainability in all its ecological, economic and cultural forms? 

Ultimately, how can we infuse our communications efforts with good narrative strategy to get better at — but go beyond — awareness-raising and attitude change so that we can be more effective and accelerate meaningful behavior change for food system transformation?

Join us to hear from special guests about why narrative strategy matters more than ever, hear about examples of communications efforts that try to disrupt dominant stories as well as embed aspirational narratives that capture audience attention and create durable engagement and cultural change. 

Keynote Guest: Greg Watson, Schumacher Center for New Economics

Practitioners Panel: Alivia Moore (Eastern Woodlands Rematriation), Shane Rogers (Vermont Farm to Plate, Rooted in Vermont), Jerusha Klemperer (FoodPrint, Grace Communications Foundation), Ali Berlow (What is American Food? Podcast).

Event Flow:

• 9:00 am to 11:00 am – Opening, Keynote Guests, Q&A and discussion breakout groups
• 11:00 am to 11:15 am – Stretch break for everyone
• 11:15 am to 12:45 pm –  Stories from our panelists, Q&A and discussion breakout groups
• 12:45 pm to 1:00 pm – Closing and next steps

Who should attend?

Anyone who considers themselves part of the New England Food System is automatically part of the regional network. Because of the virtual nature of this gathering, food system advocates from outside of New England are also welcome to attend. If your food system working includes farming, fishing, value-added food products, food security, food access, food waste, policy & advocacy, education, planning, distribution and logistics, food justice and food sovereignty….please join us!

This session is free but space is limited and registration is required. The session will be held in English, closed captioned/transcripted and will be recorded for later viewing. Facilitation by FSNE network teams members and staff.

See information about the full series here!

More about our guests:

Greg Watson is Director of Policy and Systems Design at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics. His work currently focuses on community food systems and the dynamics between local and geo-economic systems. Watson has spent nearly 40 years learning to understand systems thinking as inspired by Buckminster Fuller and to apply that understanding to achieve a just and sustainable world.

Alivia Moore is co-founder, organizer, food & medicine maker at Eastern Woodlands Rematriation. Eastern Woodlands Rematriation (EWR) reclaims the right to food and balanced relationship with the earth for Indigenous peoples. Alivia, a co-founder of EWR, will present “rematriation” as a transformative frame for our path to food justice and building collective power.

Shane Rogers is the Farm to Plate Communications Manager at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Shane has been working as a communicator in the Vermont food system since 2015. He lives in Williston, Vermont and in his free time he is a community organizer, woods explorer, gardener and amateur forager.

Jerusha Klemperer is the Director of FoodPrint at Grace Communications Foundation. Jerusha is a communications strategist working towards a more sustainable, just, healthy and delicious food system. Before FoodPrint.org she was a co-founder and the Communications Director at FoodCorps, and before that worked at Slow Food USA.

Ali Berlow has a Masters from Vermont Law School and is the author of two books about food systems. She is the co-founder/co-host of the podcast ‘What is American Food?’ and is the founding Executive Director of the Island Grown Initiative. She is currently a consultant for Red Tomato and the Artisan Grain Collaborative.