03/19/2022
The Youth Food Justice Network recently launched its pilot program in February; Youth Food Justice Organizing Institute. The Youth Food Justice Organizing Institute is an intensive 9 month youth advocacy leadership training program focused on providing youths with the necessary skills to influence changes in their community. We are working to create spaces for youth leaders to grow and learn from one another.
We are so happy to introduce our first ever cohort of youth leaders across Brooklyn. We were only able to accept 6 interns out of the many that applied, it was such a tough decision. Going forward our C.R.A.F.T days will be designed and hosted by our amazing interns. Please give them a warm welcome and socially distant embrace.
Swipe left to meet our 2022 cohort.
Madi is a 16 year old high school student, born in Queens and raised in Brooklyn. Madi loves playing basketball, he started playing basketball at the age of 12 and also played on his middle school team. Madi attends school in Bushwick Campus. Madi joined the Youth Food Justice because he thought it would be a great opportunity to work in his community and he wanted to help those who don't have access to healthy food in their local community. Madi is glad to be a part of the Youth Food Justice Network because he gets to help in the community and makes a difference.
Nibora Jean Pierre is a 17 year old high school student who attends Willamsburg High School of Arts and Technology. She became a member of theYouth Food Justice Network because she understands that food is the most basic human need, yet many people lack access to it. She notices that in her community that low-income families typically have limited access to healthful food, forcing them to rely on cheap fast food. She knows how important it is to have access to healthy food because it has a direct impact on our health. Being a part of a network that is always working to raise awareness about issues that are occurring in our community and around the world, as well as educate people and make a difference, is really inspiring, and she is looking forward to learning and making a difference in her community.
Bakary was born in Queens, New York. Bakary was always a fan of food, whenever it came to making food or trying new foods out, he was always on top of it. In 2011, Bakary then moved to Brooklyn, New York with his family , it was there he started to realize his passion for feeding and providing food to others. Bakary's dream was then reignited after he saw fellow students creating and putting together dishes in his school's culinary program. Additionally, he is a big fan of working out and eating healthy and it was something he continuously worked on even during the 2020 pandemic. Now Bakary, is on a journey of trying to make the world a better place through educating and feeding his community, gets to help in the community and makes a difference.
Shamsun, or SunSun, was born in Alabama and raised throughout New York. She is a Freshman at the Academy for Young Writers, and just turned 15. She has moved many times in her life, living 7 years in Queens, then moving to Brooklyn, before moving to Buffalo, then moving back to Queens, and finally moving back to Brooklyn. She joined the Youth Food Justice Program to expand her experience in activism, work ethic, and community involvement. Shamsun has been involved in Muslim Ummah North America (MUNA) for the past few months, volunteering as a religious educator for kids. In her free time, she likes to write poems and short stories. She is currently working on a novel, published chapter by chapter online, with nearly 20,000 readers. Shamsun also likes to dance to K-Pop and hip-hop. She would like to be an author and a choreographer when she grows up.
Amir McFarlane was born & raised in the boisterous city of Brooklyn, NY. Growing up, he was known for his ambition and drive in which he soon carried on in his teenage years. At the age of 13 in the year of 2019, he began working at East New York Farms, where he learned to garden, learned to network, was able to help give back to his community through produce at the Farmer’s Market, and more. Being given the opportunity to work at ENY Farms has enlightened Amir in ways he is extremely grateful for. After leaving the program in November 2021, he decided to pursue many other opportunities but ENY Farms’ lasting impact remained on his mind. He decided to apply to the YFJN because he was now aware of the food inequality his community faced courtesy of ENY Farms, and he wanted to make a change. He wants to be an advocate for those he feels barely have a voice within his community, and in turn provide them with what they deserve; healthy food.
Dianelly was born and raised in brooklyn new york, and from a young age he had picked up anand aptitude for the arts and sciences. From a young age he knew he loved to create and as a testament to that he participated in science fairs religiously and when he got home he’d get lost in his sketchbook. Since the age of 10 he became more attuned to his community, because he was mostly outside with his mother, he always noticed disparities between his community and the others he visited it wasn’t until he turned 16 he decided to take his abilities and try to use it to help his community, with this line of thought he began to join East New York farms to directly impact the way his people got food, and co-found the Black Student Union at his school to educate his peers about the struggles his people face and as his next step using he joins the Youth Food Justice Network as a way to organize and start making huge steps in changing his community.
