SLOW FOOD and the YOUTH FOOD MOVEMENT
Come together at the table

New York City, NY: For the first time ever, an international delegation of youth has come together to discuss Good, Clean, and Fair food.  This group of young farmers, students, activists and leaders attended Slow Food’s International Congress in Puebla Mexico and presented a six-point proposal that establishes opportunities for leadership by, investment in, and engagement of youth in the Slow Food movement and organization. Their presentation was met with enthusiasm by Slow Food leaders, culminating in the nomination of 20 year-old Kenyan student John Kariuki Mwangi as one of three International Vice Presidents of Slow Food (alongside Alice Waters and Vandana Shiva).

One can’t always become sentimental when hearing youth speak out…and then not follow this declaration through with action”, said Carlo Petrini, “It is also fair that our leadership passes into new hands, individuals who represent the future evolution of Slow Food and who will bring new lifeblood to the association.”

Direct results of the youth delegation’s meeting and proposal are the establishment of an International Youth Food Movement Work Group, the promise of a youth delegation to Terra Madre, Slow Food’s Biennial Meeting for small sustainable farmers and producers, and preparations for a network of exchanges and work experiences around the world on farms, in restaurants, and with producers.  Moving forward, the youth delegation established the beginnings of a web-based network of students and youth leaders from around the world.

The youth, who represented the University of Gastronomic Sciences and the US Youth Food Movement, spoke passionately about the desire to translate the values of Slow Food to the next generation and asked for, and received, support from the leaders in harnessing the potential of international fluidity and communication to positively affect local food communities and economies.

ABOUT SLOW FOOD: Slow Food (http://www.slowfood.com) was founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini as a response to the opening of a McDonald’s in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome.  Today the movement exists in over 50 countries and has over 80,000 members and supporters.  Slow Food USA (http://www.slowfoodusa.org) has 15,000 members and oversees a number of programs including Slow Food in Schools, the Ark of Taste, and Slow Food Presidia.

“…knowing where food comes from can change the way you relate to the world, to your friends and to yourself.  And it can also result in a mighty good muffin.”
— The New York Times