A place for inspiration and connection

Q: You have been involved in all 10 of the World Food System Summer Schools, from conception and design to organizing in India, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa and Switzerland. What about the program has led to its longevity and success?

A: Ultimately, I think this comes down to the wonderful team who has been committed from the very beginning to create a unique program that is a transformative learning experience for the participants. When we were setting up the center, there were virtually no education offerings in the world that really took a food systems approach to understanding the challenges we are facing and the solutions that are needed. There were also very few spaces where participants could come together from a wide variety of backgrounds – culturally, academically, professionally – and really learn with and from one another.

We were quite deliberate in the design of the program (external pagepublication on designcall_made) and the selection of partners and contributors to ensure that the summer school helps participants build new knowledge, skills and attitudes about food systems challenges and solutions so that they could be inspired to play their role in creating positive change. The setting of the program is also important, we always run it in locations where there is a chance to engage first-hand with the challenges we are talking about. Finally, the participants themselves, and our efforts to set and hold an inclusive learning environment, mean that the atmosphere that is created is really quite special.

Q: The summer school encapsulates learnings from whole food system while having space for field work and design thinking creation. Why is this varied learning space so important for the students?

A: In the summer school, we are bringing together adult learners. We are really aware of the fact that each participant arrives with a wealth of knowledge, experience and insight to share.We want to make space for that, so we put peer to peer learning strongly in focus in the course. This happens best in a variety of formats, so that all the different learning and processing styles of the participants are accounted for and given space. We also want to make sure that there is space to move through the full learning cycle – from the more abstract, mental conceptualizing to active experimentation and experiences to reflection and observation.

Q: The two-week course creates a diverse group of young people interested in food system challenges. What has most surprised you about this group of young changemakers?

A: When you purposefully create inclusive learning environments, a wonderful side effect of that is observing unexpected connections and interactions taking place between participants. But for this to happen, the participants really need to be open minded and courageous, willing to put aside biases and assumptions. I always really appreciate this about each group that we have, watching how they support each other’s learning, how they grow through difficult conversations and how they leave with a deeper connection to a network of collaborators from all around the world. I am also really inspired by a lot of the projects they have started or work they have engaged with after the course, it is wonderful to see how they really commit their professional lives to addressing these urgent food system challenges.

Q: What are your hopes for the Center and its members?

A: The Center is uniquely positioned with the knowledge, skills and resources to work across boundaries and tackle really complex food system challenges. These issues have never been more urgent. So, my hope is that the center and its members continue to find new ways of collaborating and creating shared value with stakeholders and partners to create a real-world impact. An important aspect of this is the ability to leverage the fascinating research that happens in the institution and combine that with education and outreach expertise that supports learning, innovation and collaboration across the food system.

Q: You have been involved in organizing the last several summer schools. Before, you worked in education in the international cooperation sector. What surprised you most when you met the participants at the summer school in 2019?

A: The participants of the summer school are so incredibly motivated! They engage actively in the course, exchange and learn from their peers and want to contribute to sustainable systemic change in the food system. The selection process is rigorous, and the course is in high demand. Most participants are already engaged in numerous ways to create positive food system change, and are seeking for a community of peers, as well as knowledge, skills, motivation, and inspiration to contribute to a truly sustainable transformation. It is very inspiring to work with these changemakers.

Participants additionally bring so much to the course; their diversity, in terms of nationality, discipline and socio-economic background is immense. What all have in common, is their drive to build sustainable food systems. Fostering a community that continues exchanging and learning after the course, has been one of the most fulfilling things for me to contribute to.

Q: One session of the summer school focuses on how to make change. What do you find special about this session and why is its purpose in the course’s teachings?

A: The key objective of our all our educational courses, is to build the capacity of the next generation of decision makers to provide leadership for sustainable food systems issues.

As I mentioned, the motivation of the participants to contribute to systemic change is immense, but many are feeling overwhelmed. Where to start? Who to collaborate with and in what way? And once you found what you want to work on, how can you do this in a way that is also personally sustainable? With the challenges we face, it is easy to get discouraged and stressed. And if we are personally not in balance, this impacts what we do and how we do it. Our interactions with other stakeholders are negatively impacted and in the end we might, despite the best intentions, not contribute to truly constructive change towards more sustainable food systems.