Accomplishments

YSC 2023

Reintroduced the Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act (H.R. 3276), which now includes plant-based milk options and a focus on organic food.

Collected signatures for our petition to advance The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act Coalition, led and created a national comment campaign to collect public comments from students, organizations, schools, caregivers, and food service workers for the Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns.

Organized a USDA Youth Comment Party where youth learned how to write and submit public comments.

Organized support for the NYC Food Education Coalition to provide accessible foods to all NYC schools.

Co-organized the Gubernatorial Forum on Hunger, Poverty, Food, and Economic Opportunity.

Organized a call-to-action to Congress Members asking them to support the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act.

Organized 34 Capitol Hill meetings with Congressional staffers where students asked their representatives to support the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act, oppose the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, oppose the EATS Act, support the Equitable, Values Aligned Procurement Act, and support the Farm Systems Reform Act.

Coordinated a meeting with Ian Prince from the Republican Education and the Workforce Committee and a meeting with Andre Lindsay and Natalia Guzman from the Democrat Education and the Workforce Committee.

Arranged a meeting with Congressman Jaamal Bowman where we thanked him for introducing the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act.

Organized a meeting with high-level USDA officials, including Gabby Gomez (Administrative Specialist, AMS), Elisa Gladstone (Associate Deputy Administrator, AMS), Gwen Holcomb (Nutrition & Specification Management Division Branch Chief, AMS), Kumar Chandran (Senior Advisor USDA Office of the Secretary, FNS), Alberto Gonzalez Jr. (USDA Senior Advisor for External Engagement, FNS), Bruce Summers (Administrator for the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service), Bethany Showell (Team Lead/Lead Program Analyst FNS), and Christina Moczydlowski (Office of Nutrition Marketing and Communications).

Coordinated a meeting with Harry Heins from the Executive Office of the President.

YSC 2022

Organizing a listening session with high-level USDA officials to share their testimonies and speak about the positive impacts of including plant-based foods in schools, which was, to our knowledge, the first time USDA staff have heard from an organized group of youth about the need for more plant-based options in schools.

Developing a petition and collecting youth, teacher, and parent testimonies in favor of provisions they helped secure in a House child nutrition bill that would expand plant-based school meals and non-dairy milk options. This was a historic win!

Attending the White House Conference on Hunger, Health, and Nutrition and initiating a letter to the White House about the importance of centering youth voices. (Initially, the White House extended a speaking invitation to a YSC member that was rescinded, which we believe was due to concerns from agriculture staff about highlighting the benefits of plant-based diets.)

Creating a social media presence on Instagram branded as the Plant Powered Youth Steering Committee.

Meeting with more than 30+ Capitol Hill offices in support of policies to expand access to plant-based school food (and often recruiting other students and community members from their area to join these meetings).

Publishing blogs and op-eds about their experiences advocating for plant-based school food.

Participating in professional development sessions around policy advocacy, working on Capitol Hill, and preventing burnout through positive mental health practices.