Food Leaders Lab (FLL) is a four-session course that builds advocacy skills and connections between community members. From learning about how laws are passed in Rhode Island to understanding how personal stories can help pass good policy, these workshops are designed to train people to make an impact at the State House and beyond.
Past cohorts have included members of the Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls Health Equity Zones (HEZ). This fall’s cohort will be based in the same three cities and is supported by a Rhode Island Foundation Catalyst Grant. This winter we will host our first cohort composed of Rhode Island farmers, with support from Farm Aid.
If you are interested in partnering with RIFPC for a future FLL cohort, please contact info@rifoodcouncil.org.
Workshop Descriptions
Session 1: Foundations of Power, Oppression, and Social Change
This workshop engages participants in a robust discussion on how power is held and moved throughout systems in Rhode Island. This includes an examination of cycles of power, oppression, and equity while incorporating the lived experience of participants throughout the conversations. Food Leaders will workshop this discussion into a plan to support their communities and contribute to social change.
Session 2: How RI Government Works
Participants will define policy, legislation, and regulations, understanding where, when, and how various levels of government create and implement laws. Participants will identify and contact their state lawmakers while learning how to develop long-term relationships with elected leaders.
Session 3: Basics of Community Organizing
In this session, the cohort will learn how to implement leadership practices surrounding community organizing, identifying their own actions and developing a plan for direct lobbying and organizing for RIFPC’s Good Food Policy Day.
Session 4:Effective Advocacy for a Just Food System
Cohort members will develop and practice communicating on a topic of their choosing within the framework of state legislative committee hearings and advocacy meetings.