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Hi there from CKP!

There’s an exciting event going on in April we think you might want to be a part of! The first annual “Vermont Food Summit: Bringing Everyone to Table” launches April 6-10^th. One of the featured events during that week of food, fun and discussion, on April 8^th, is the Open Space (this is the discussion part!). Everyone eats, but we all bring different priorities and perspectives to the table. We’re hoping you, or someone you know has a project, idea, thesis, experience, initiative, etc, that they might want to share in an informal, interactive setting. If this sounds like you (or even if it doesn’t just yet!) read on to learn more about this opportunity to convey you’re foodie idea to a foodie crowd!

WHAT IS "OPEN SPACE"? It is similar to a workshop, but the idea is that it is a less formal, provides a space for ideas to flow, and doesn't restrict people to one space for a large amount of time. People who have ideas, projects, or presentations lead the topic of discussion but unlike a workshop, it is more interactive and the purpose is to network, collaborate, and help each other with new initiatives that we are all working on. All of the presenters will be in one large room but it will be divided into sections with chairs or other forms of a divider. There will be between 5-8 presenters at any given time and they will each have 30 minutes to present and facilitate conversation. It is during the Vermont Food Summit (April 6-10), so the presentations should tie into the food theme of the week.

WHO: The event is open to the whole University community, whether you are presenting or taking part in the workshops. The presentations should be centered on food related topics, such as sustainable agriculture, healthy eating, access to food, farm workers rights, etc. The main audience will most likely be UVM undergraduate students and the presenters will be anyone who is part of an initiative or has an idea or project that they would like to share.

HOW: If you are interested in presenting your idea, project, thesis, presentation, organization, poem, travel experiences, initiative, and anything else related to food, fill out the proposal below. The structure would be 15 minutes of presentation, and then 15 minutes of facilitated discussion around your subject. Example: Someone is looking to start a Plant-A-Row for Hunger program with community gardeners this coming summer and she’s looking to get other suggestions and possible partnerships. She’ll present her project and then open it up to discussion amongst the group of people who decided to be a part of that particular open space workshop.

WHY: We recognize that food is something that affects us all, and we all come to the table with a different perspective and priorities. Our goal is to provide the space to share these ideas and to find ways to collaborate on future projects that can create positive change.

WHERE AND WHEN: This open space will be during the first ever Vermont Food Summit: Bringing Everyone to the Table, which is the week of April 6-10. The Open Space is on Wednesday, April 8^th from 10am-2pm in the Livak Ballroom.

DUE: Please submit your proposals at [log in to unmask]">http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pI2eFkVe-cU3ZBNoTVPpzHQ&[log in to unmask]. Open Space Proposals are due by Tuesday March 31st.

Still have questions? Please email Liz Schindler at [log in to unmask].