Fresh Perspectives and a Desire for Change: Joining the Sustainable Food Place’s “Engaging Young People in Food Partnerships” Workshop
Martha, our new Youth Participation Coordinator, shares her experiences of joining Sustainable Food Places’ workshop on her second day at Food Matters. She reflects on fresh perspectives shared, meaningful participation, and the appetite for giving young people a stronger voice in shaping food systems.
The first day or two in a new job is usually a blur of admin, inductions, new names and trying desperately to remember which mug belongs to your manager before you accidentally commit the office crime of making your coffee in it.
Martha, not at Food Matters!
But not at Food Matters.
On just my second day as a Youth Participation Coordinator, I was invited to a workshop exploring how well young people* are represented in food partnerships**. Participants joined from across the UK and from different corners of food systems work, bringing a wide range of experiences and perspectives. It was a brilliant chance to see first-hand the kinds of conversations Sustainable Food Places and Food Matters help create, and to hear from people working to make local food systems more inclusive.
Why this workshop, and why now?
The interest in hosting this workshop had been shaped by growing evidence that young people remain underrepresented in food partnerships across the UK. Sustainable Food Place’s Framework for Action on Inclusion identifies young people as a key group whose voices are often missing from food system change. At the same time, Barnardo’s and Co-op’s Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures report highlights the untapped potential of involving young people in creating fairer, healthier and more sustainable food systems. Together, these reports raise an important challenge: if we want food systems that work for young people, they need a meaningful role in shaping them. This workshop set out to explore how that can happen.
A place-based approach
Over the course of the 90-minute session, I heard from people across the UK who are working to bring young people’s voices into food systems conversations. From Belfast to Cambridge, Powys and Aberdeenshire, participants shared a common interest: how young people are already engaging with local food partnerships, and what needs to change so that more of them have a meaningful seat at the table in community and national conversations about food.
We continued the discussion in breakout rooms, one of which I was asked to facilitate. I spoke with five people working across different parts of the food system, and together we explored:
- The processes and methods that work well when engaging with young people
- The challenges of engaging young people
- Approaches that could make a difference
What stood out most was the variety of experience in the room – from rural and urban contexts, community projects and larger organisations, to work with farmers, growers and nutrition education. It was a valuable reminder that youth participation in food systems can look very different depending on place, scale and focus.
Talking about how young people access information about food and nutrition at a workshop in December 2025
Recruiting diverse participants
One point that stayed with me was the importance of broadening how we recruit young people into food systems conversations. If we only reach young people who are already engaged in food work or those connected to university groups, we risk hearing only a narrow range of voices. Young people are not a homogenous group, and meaningful participation means making space for those with different backgrounds, experiences and barriers to involvement.
An appetite for change
Looking back, it was such an inspiring way to start a new job. Instead of spending the day getting to grips with systems and processes, I was invited straight into a conversation at the core of my role’s purpose – how can we increase young people’s role in shaping food systems? As someone passionate about ensuring young people have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their futures, the workshop was a brilliant introduction to both Food Matters and the wider Sustainable Food Places network, and a reminder of just how much appetite there is for spaces where young people can influence change.
Call to action
Are you a young person who wants to have a say in the future of food, or an organisation working with young people or food systems? We’d love to hear from you – get in touch with Martha at [email protected]
Watch the full workshop below:
*Young people in this blog refers to 18 – 30-year-olds
**A food partnership is a community-led network that brings together local councils, businesses, charities, growers, and residents to create a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable local food system. Want to see whether your area has an established food partnership? Check out the Sustainable Food Places Network Map
Fresh Perspectives and a Desire for Change: Joining the Sustainable Food Place’s “Engaging Young People in Food Partnerships” Workshop
Martha, our new Youth Participation Coordinator, shares her experiences of joining Sustainable Food Places’ workshop on her second day at Food Matters. She reflects on fresh perspectives shared, meaningful participation, and the appetite for giving young people a stronger voice in shaping food systems.
The first day or two in a new job is usually a blur of admin, inductions, new names and trying desperately to remember which mug belongs to your manager before you accidentally commit the office crime of making your coffee in it.
Martha, not at Food Matters!
But not at Food Matters.
On just my second day as a Youth Participation Coordinator, I was invited to a workshop exploring how well young people* are represented in food partnerships**. Participants joined from across the UK and from different corners of food systems work, bringing a wide range of experiences and perspectives. It was a brilliant chance to see first-hand the kinds of conversations Sustainable Food Places and Food Matters help create, and to hear from people working to make local food systems more inclusive.
Why this workshop, and why now?
The interest in hosting this workshop had been shaped by growing evidence that young people remain underrepresented in food partnerships across the UK. Sustainable Food Place’s Framework for Action on Inclusion identifies young people as a key group whose voices are often missing from food system change. At the same time, Barnardo’s and Co-op’s Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures report highlights the untapped potential of involving young people in creating fairer, healthier and more sustainable food systems. Together, these reports raise an important challenge: if we want food systems that work for young people, they need a meaningful role in shaping them. This workshop set out to explore how that can happen.
A place-based approach
Over the course of the 90-minute session, I heard from people across the UK who are working to bring young people’s voices into food systems conversations. From Belfast to Cambridge, Powys and Aberdeenshire, participants shared a common interest: how young people are already engaging with local food partnerships, and what needs to change so that more of them have a meaningful seat at the table in community and national conversations about food.
We continued the discussion in breakout rooms, one of which I was asked to facilitate. I spoke with five people working across different parts of the food system, and together we explored:
- The processes and methods that work well when engaging with young people
- The challenges of engaging young people
- Approaches that could make a difference
What stood out most was the variety of experience in the room – from rural and urban contexts, community projects and larger organisations, to work with farmers, growers and nutrition education. It was a valuable reminder that youth participation in food systems can look very different depending on place, scale and focus.
Talking about how young people access information about food and nutrition at a workshop in December 2025
Recruiting diverse participants
One point that stayed with me was the importance of broadening how we recruit young people into food systems conversations. If we only reach young people who are already engaged in food work or those connected to university groups, we risk hearing only a narrow range of voices. Young people are not a homogenous group, and meaningful participation means making space for those with different backgrounds, experiences and barriers to involvement.
An appetite for change
Looking back, it was such an inspiring way to start a new job. Instead of spending the day getting to grips with systems and processes, I was invited straight into a conversation at the core of my role’s purpose – how can we increase young people’s role in shaping food systems? As someone passionate about ensuring young people have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their futures, the workshop was a brilliant introduction to both Food Matters and the wider Sustainable Food Places network, and a reminder of just how much appetite there is for spaces where young people can influence change.
Call to action
Are you a young person who wants to have a say in the future of food, or an organisation working with young people or food systems? We’d love to hear from you – get in touch with Martha at [email protected]
Watch the full workshop below:
*Young people in this blog refers to 18 – 30-year-olds
**A food partnership is a community-led network that brings together local councils, businesses, charities, growers, and residents to create a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable local food system. Want to see whether your area has an established food partnership? Check out the Sustainable Food Places Network Map
