Who are we?

The Youth Team is a part of the Archuleta Food Coalition that is focused primarily on engaging the youth of the community in a process of understanding our food system with the aim of advancing food equity. We are a small piece of a large puzzle that is intent on creating an equitable food system that benefits every part of the community.  One of our team members highlighted our purpose, "I think the main purpose we have is to better engage the youth and make it both educational and fun".

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What have we been up to?

The youth team works to provide education opportunities for the youth, offers support and insight to the Coalition, and works through project-based efforts in order to engage the youth of the community. We are a team that works through participatory work in order to promote equitable changes.

Do you wonder how you can join our efforts? You can start by learning along side our team. Here is what one of our team members shared, "Learning! Whether that be how to DIY compost, cooking, or how to recycle, learning from the content that the coalition has (and will) put out is the easiest way to get involved."

Apples, Apples... Recently we packaged close to 300 bags of apples to share with families at the parent teacher conferences at our local elementary school! The youth team bagged local apples that came from an orchard in Yellow Jacket that is maintained by CSU. Parents picked up bags after their conferences ended with teachers! We were excited for the opportunity to partner with the elementary school in this service project!
Equity Training... We were asked to help develop an equity training session for the community members who created a proposal for the Participatory Budgeting process. We drew on our past equity training and our ongoing learning through our work with the Coalition.
​FS|FE Youth Club... We are supporting our peers at the high school to start a student-led youth club. The purpose of the club is to educate the student body on the inner workings of the food system in our community, food equity, and our role in the food system. The club plans to do projects that help enhance food security, advance food equity, and increase understanding among our peers, the community, and school system. 

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Where are we heading?

Our main goals are:

• to engage the youth of the community,
• to educate the youth, and
• to open up the narrative to youth-based ideas in order to promote a community based food system.

"Most importantly I see that we are striving to get more youth aware of our work and to engage them in our team as a whole. I believe we can do this through spreading what we stand for and who we are throughout our community and on social media. With more exposure and support, we can work on hosting fun activities for kids and teens such as having talent shows and scavenger hunts that could contribute to learning about our food system and build community."

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Why should I care?

Getting involved with our team gives you an opportunity to develop a deeper sense of community and a connection to it, examine food security, and to encourage learning and growth among our peers. We will be the leaders of the future and being in spaces that revolve around youth impact are important for our future endeavors and our community.  In the words of one of the youth team members, "Youth are the future, and the more knowledgeable we are on sustainable, equitable ways of life, the more progressive and bright our futures will be." 

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How can I help?

WE the YOUTH are able to support the community through project based work, school-based projects, attending meetings, and working within and across the food system.  Right now youth can get involved with the Coalition through the instagram page, community conversations, upcoming youth forums, apple bagging, and flyer and website crafting.  Send us a message via instagram page.