| Our crew members know their school food isn't good for them. They want to make it better.
Our youth chose school food as the focus of their fall campaign, and have spent weeks learning about the issue. They recently met with New London and Groton school food service directors, and in past weeks have created surveys to assess what students, parents and community members know, and how they feel, about the food served in their schools. In canvassing at our mobile market stops in New London, we have gotten important input about school food, and spread FRESH's name and mission within the community.
In the fall, youth do some farm work, but focus on advocacy. On Oct. 12 the FRESH crew marched in the CT March Against Monsanto in Mystic.
Youth crew member Stanley said the March Against Monsanto was his first experience being part of a demonstration, and he felt less shy being surrounded by others of similar passion. His sign, "Hell No GMOs," was inspired by what he's learned about genetic modification in food, or as he explains it, "putting stuff into food that's not supposed to be there."
"I didn't think a lot of people would be there, but there were a lot people," Stanley said.
Youth crew member Luis said he was excited to see how others responded to their passion.
"A lot of people cared. We had this sign, 'Honk for no GMOs,' and there were a lot of people honking," Luis said.
The next day, three FRESH Junior Staff members spoke about food justice and FRESH at the South Lyme Congregational Church's annual harvest fair. And last week they met State Public Health Commissioner Jewel Mullen when she spoke at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich.
These experiences help to shape new perspectives and fuel our continued efforts. Next up is Bioneers' by the Bay/Connecting for Change youth sustainability action conference in New Bedford, Mass this weekend. At this three-day event our youth will attend workshops and present our work as part of the YouthShare tent, which showcases youth sustainability efforts nationwide. We can't wait to share what they learn in our next newsletter, in November. | 
