We are writing to you today to ask that you begin thinking about the process we will use to select delegates for the 2013 New England Food Summit. A project of Food Solutions New England (FSNE), this year’s summit will be co-sponsored and hosted by the University of Southern Maine University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The summit will be held Thursday, June 13th and Friday, June 14th, 2013, in Portland, Maine.
Participation in this summit is by invitation only and each state will select 12 delegates that together represent the full breadth of the food system: from agriculture, fisheries, distribution and processing, to nutrition, health and social justice. In addition, a delegation of cross-cutting representatives who are working for regionally based organizations or agencies will also be invited.
As in previous years, a steering committee comprised of food system practitioners from each of the six New England states is designing the 2013 summit. Representatives from NH on the steering committee have asked that the NH NDT decide on the NH delegation. We will choose delegates for the 2013 Food Summit at our April 22 meeting, so please begin thinking about whom we should nominate. Do we pick from a wide range of representatives within our Network Design Team? Do we select a combination of NDT members and other stakeholders not in the room? Participation in the Summit is key to our work of designing and building a food system network here in NH that is connected to and strengthened by our ties with organizations, institutions and practitioners around the region.
The 2013 New England Food Summit
This summit builds upon the first two New England Food Summits, held March 2011 in Portsmouth, NH and June 2012 in Burlington, VT. For information about the previous two summits, including a list of delegates, summit agendas, and other resources, please visit: http://foodsolutionsne.org/summits. The goals of this year’s summit include:
· To develop a shared understanding of the purpose and value of FSNE learning/action network and to provide design input to ensure that it provides tangible value to individual and collective efforts at the local, state and regional levels;
· To identify collaborative and complementary actions within and across states that will promote more sustainable local, state and regional food systems;
· To develop a shared understanding of how the New England Food Vision can be used as an aspirational vision and scenario tool to enhance food system work at all levels.
Delegates will be asked to complete summit pre-work. This will include reviewing the New England Food Vision document and meeting with your delegation (face-to-face or via conference call). Pre-work instructions will be sent upon confirmation of the delegations. Delegates are also expected to take carry the spirit of the summit forward. This intentionally expands the reach of the summit to those unable to attend by the nature of the invite and builds upon networks emerging as part of the summit experience. Expanding our reach, in our respective states and diverse communities of practice, contributes to the development of a dynamic network poised to advance action plans developed as a result of the summit and our collaborative capacity to act as a region.
The summit will be held at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, ME. It will begin on Thursday, June 13th at 10 a.m. and will conclude on Friday, June 14th at 3:00 p.m. Delegates will receive lunch, dinner, and breaks on Thursday, and breakfast, lunch, and breaks on Friday. There is no registration fee for delegates to attend, but delegates will be responsible for their own travel costs and overnight accommodations for Thursday evening. Limited financial assistance to assist with accommodations or travel may be available. Further details will be provided after delegations are confirmed.
We encourage you to review previous summit details and give some thought to this question of the NH delegation in preparation for our April meeting. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Participation in this summit is by invitation only and each state will select 12 delegates that together represent the full breadth of the food system: from agriculture, fisheries, distribution and processing, to nutrition, health and social justice. In addition, a delegation of cross-cutting representatives who are working for regionally based organizations or agencies will also be invited.
As in previous years, a steering committee comprised of food system practitioners from each of the six New England states is designing the 2013 summit. Representatives from NH on the steering committee have asked that the NH NDT decide on the NH delegation. We will choose delegates for the 2013 Food Summit at our April 22 meeting, so please begin thinking about whom we should nominate. Do we pick from a wide range of representatives within our Network Design Team? Do we select a combination of NDT members and other stakeholders not in the room? Participation in the Summit is key to our work of designing and building a food system network here in NH that is connected to and strengthened by our ties with organizations, institutions and practitioners around the region.
The 2013 New England Food Summit
This summit builds upon the first two New England Food Summits, held March 2011 in Portsmouth, NH and June 2012 in Burlington, VT. For information about the previous two summits, including a list of delegates, summit agendas, and other resources, please visit: http://foodsolutionsne.org/summits. The goals of this year’s summit include:
· To develop a shared understanding of the purpose and value of FSNE learning/action network and to provide design input to ensure that it provides tangible value to individual and collective efforts at the local, state and regional levels;
· To identify collaborative and complementary actions within and across states that will promote more sustainable local, state and regional food systems;
· To develop a shared understanding of how the New England Food Vision can be used as an aspirational vision and scenario tool to enhance food system work at all levels.
Delegates will be asked to complete summit pre-work. This will include reviewing the New England Food Vision document and meeting with your delegation (face-to-face or via conference call). Pre-work instructions will be sent upon confirmation of the delegations. Delegates are also expected to take carry the spirit of the summit forward. This intentionally expands the reach of the summit to those unable to attend by the nature of the invite and builds upon networks emerging as part of the summit experience. Expanding our reach, in our respective states and diverse communities of practice, contributes to the development of a dynamic network poised to advance action plans developed as a result of the summit and our collaborative capacity to act as a region.
The summit will be held at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, ME. It will begin on Thursday, June 13th at 10 a.m. and will conclude on Friday, June 14th at 3:00 p.m. Delegates will receive lunch, dinner, and breaks on Thursday, and breakfast, lunch, and breaks on Friday. There is no registration fee for delegates to attend, but delegates will be responsible for their own travel costs and overnight accommodations for Thursday evening. Limited financial assistance to assist with accommodations or travel may be available. Further details will be provided after delegations are confirmed.
We encourage you to review previous summit details and give some thought to this question of the NH delegation in preparation for our April meeting. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
ehh_summit_info_delegate_email.docx |