A marvelous and inspiring group of young people led our public policy panel at the 2024 Common Ground Country Fair in the Spotlight tent. Heather Spalding, deputy director of MOFGA, moderated the event, asking the panelists about their experiences working for change within their own organizations or while on the Maine Climate Council. We were joined by Jane Dawson from Maine Youth Power, Isabelle Rogers from Just ME for Just US, Kaethe Rice from Defend Our Health, Edge Venuti from multiple groups including the Maine Climate Council, and our own Natalie Jacobs who worked with MOFGA over the summer preparing for the Fair. They lead us through their vision of what is required to organize resilient and responsive food and climate activism for the next generation. They discussed the work they have done within their own groups, their shared experience of growing up in rural communities feeling disconnected from the decisions that were impacting their lives, and how to respond through various media and building a culture of shared experiences beyond organizing work that can often leave one burned out and alienated.
You can watch the teach-in in its entirety on MOFGA’s YouTube channel.