During the first week of June, the Global Coordination Team of the SFYN Global Academy gathered together in the city of Curitiba in the south of Brazil for its first official meeting. The group which has been working online together for the past four years to promote the SFYN Academy methodology, joined a full week program of work, lecture and field trip.
The meeting happened in one of the countries where SFYN represents a great example of a “grass-root movement”. Moreover Brazil’s current food system is at a crossroads between the richness of its incredibly diverse fruits, vegetables, traditions coming from thousands of different cultures; and a system that is taken over by the most ruthless food industry, GMOs
and big food chains. However, all the great events organized by SFYN Brazil, such as Disco Soup and the SFYN Academy are always self organized, self financed and supported by local volunteers that offer all their passion and engagement for a better future. The choice of Brazil was made with the goal of transferring the know-how and the passion that the Brazilian Slow
Food network was able to generate for the future generation.
The main goal of the meeting was to create a toolkit to promote new SFYN Academies worldwide, the 5 coordinators from Netherlands, Germany, Kenya, Italy and Brazil worked together to produce a series of videos to help new coordinators start their local academies and thus spread the vision of all existing academies and therefore of Slow Food, as well prepare a one day SFYN Academy showcase to be held at Terra Madre 2022.
The toolkit will be launched in September at Terra Madre 2022 in Turin.
Watch the promo : https://youtu.be/AqKxHoLWEEo
The Program of the Global SFYN Academy coordinators meeting in Curitiba.
As part of the program, an event was held at Federal University of Technology of Paraná where the SFYNA coordinators were invited by Professor Elisangela Lobo to share the Slow Food vision for a sustainable food system and food waste and discuss the topics with students and professors. To have a glimpse of the Slow Food movement in the region of
Curitiba, the team also went on several field trips and visits. From Benedito Uczai a Slow Food beekeeper, who shared his knowledge on brazilian native stingless bees, or Curitiba municipality’s which opened the city’s urban farm for a visit and explanation non conventional edible plants (PANCs), to a lunch and talk with chef Gabriela Carvalho who applies the Slow Food philosophy in her restaurant.
The Brazilian network experience has shown a good example of a horizontal and open organization, able to create a good, clean and air food system for everybody, reaching people from all backgrounds and ages. Moreover, the meeting of the SFYN Academy Global coordination was a success and proved to be very important for strengthening the network and continuity of the work.
The SFYN Academy
The Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Academy is an educational model that offers an interdisciplinary program around the food chain, tailored to empower and connect young changemakers.
Know more: http://www.sfynacademy.com
Keep in touch with the global coordinators team: http://www.sfynacademy.com/open-a-sfyn-academy/
Gabriela Bonilha Slow Food Youth Network Brasil
Andrea Bolognin Slow Food Youth Network Italy
Arjanne Bode Slow Food Youth Network the Netherlands
Elphas Masanga Slow Food Youth Network Kenya
Elia Carceller Slow Food Youth Network Germany
Pictures for high resolution and subtitles: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Je1u4Y2koABsPp5NfSxTfDlcXz2haytd?usp=sharing
