The Application for the Food Justice Scholarship is now closed.

As part of its Reverse Hunger campaign, American Jewish World Service is thrilled to be offering partial scholarships for the Hazon Food Conference, to be held December 6-9, 2012 at Isabella Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut, to participants interested in developing their leadership and networks in food justice work and activism. Scholarships are competitive and needs based.

Recipients will be responsible for room and board but can apply to cover up to 100% of registration fees.

This year’s conference includes a built-out food justice track covering workshops on a range of topics, such as the Farm Bill, global food access, workers rights, and more. Recipients of the scholarship are required to actively participate in the food justice track, as part of a food justice cohort, as well as contribute to AJWS’s organizing efforts upon their return.

AJWS is organizing this food justice cohort as part of our ongoing campaign work tackling the root causes of global hunger. For AJWS, promoting food justice involves addressing and dismantling the policies, structural barriers and power relationships that perpetuate food insecurity and undermine people’s ability to control their own food systems (their ‘food sovereignty’). Many AJWS grantees, around the world, are working tirelessly to advance food justice, food sovereignty and sustainable livelihoods in their local communities. AJWS positions itself as a partner in this work, leveraging the power and influence of the Jewish community to advance U.S. policies that support, rather than undermine, those very efforts.

AJWS recognizes that the struggle for food justice is global, that manifests both at home and abroad. Communities in our own backyard, from Detroit to Denver and NY to LA, are similarly engaged in struggles for a more just, equitable, and sustainable food system.

Our goal is to bring together a food justice cohort that will not only attend the conference together but will subsequently channel the energy from the conference into local efforts, in their home communities and related to AJWS’s ongoing organizing work. We invite all individuals with demonstrated experience in food justice efforts, whether locally or internationally, to apply. Individuals with previous experience with AJWS’s Reverse Hunger campaign, whether as hosts of Global Hunger Shabbat, participants in AJWS lobby efforts, or any other Reverse Hunger projects, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Benefits of participating in this cohort include:

• Receiving financial assistance to attend the conference;

• Meeting and networking with other Jewish food justice enthusiasts;

• Building your leadership as a food justice enthusiast, no matter your current level of skill and experience;

• Participating in an exclusive cohort session at the conference where you will have a chance to share food justice stories, strategies, and resources with other cohort members, as well as with leaders in the AJWS community, and learn more about plugging into AJWS’s campaign work;

• Joining a national AJWS network with post-conference opportunities to stay connected and involved and to draw on AJWS as a resource for taking action on important global issues, from the Farm Bill and beyond.

As an AJWS food justice scholarship recipient, you will be expected to

• Before the conference:
  • Attend a pre-conference orientation call to learn more about AJWS, our Reverse Hunger campaign, and the many opportunities that we will be inviting you to take advantage of during the conference experience;

• During the conference:
  • Actively participate in the food justice track for the entire time by attending at least 5 workshops from the food justice offerings, including two with AJWS / Reverse Hunger specific content (one on the Farm Bill, one on organizing);
  • Participate in the food justice cohort gathering to strategize with other food justice enthusiasts from across the country;
  • Promote the food justice track & cohort via social media;

• After the conference:
  • Attend one post-conference debrief conference call to learn more about AJWS’s next campaign steps and to share ideas with other scholarship recipients for action and program opportunities in your home community;
  • Meet with a member of the national AJWS campaign team upon your return for a conversation about your passions and interests and about opportunities to get involved in AJWS organizing efforts;
  • Participate in at least one AJWS campaign activity in early 2013 – TBD (previous activities have included meeting with members of Congress, writing letters to the editor, etc).

Application timeline and details:

• The application for the Food Justice Scholarship is now closed.
• If you applyed for a scholarship, DO NOT REGISTER for the conference yet. Applicants will be notified of scholarship awards will be invited to register at that time.
• For any questions relating to the sponsorship please email asasson@ajws.org.
• For any questions relating to conference please email foodconference@hazon.org