What is My Food Community?
Over the past few years a spotlight has been shone on the role of community food organisers. They have met challenges, built food resilience, tackled poverty and become activists of a broken food system. The skills, experiences and tools developed through My food Community (MFC) have helped communities promote sustainable, healthy and affordable diets.
MFC, originating from Food for Life Get Togethers, is a community leadership programme intended to create a network for good food champions to learn, connect and take action. Find out more about the impacts and learnings from MFC
Video: My Food Community: Leadership, Action & Inspiration
In this film we hear directly from participants involved, inspired and empowered by their journey and participation in the My Food Community leadership development programme. As well as colleagues and partners on the vital role communities hold in finding solutions to the challenges we face across our food system.
Leadership Action Grants
Leadership Action Grants
As part of the My Food Community programme, all members are given a Leadership Action Grant to run a project that will positively impact their community and utilise their learnings from the programme. These range from community food consultations, food-based festivals and growing a local food campaign.
Watch the film to see how Francesca from Bury used her grant to develop a toolkit for food banks in Bury who want to transition to the food pantry model and further support their community.
Can anyone be part of MFC?
We welcome and support people with different levels of experience in leading others to take action around good food. We know that many people who create positive change in their communities may not see themselves as ‘leaders’ or ‘champions’.
So long as you have the desire, passion and commitment to take action, and are open and willing to learn and share with others, then My Food Community could be for you.
You will need to demonstrate the following to be eligible for My Food Community:
- Passion and commitment to being a good food champion and creating positive change in your community through good food.
- Experience or desire to lead or organise others in your community to take action around good food in the next year.
- To put what you learn into practice, to increase your reach and impact as a good food champion in the next year.
- Open to learn and share with and from others in My Food Community.
- To participate in a mainly virtual/online programme which requires active participation and engagement.
- Commitment to dedicating at least 3 hours per week to group activity and self-guided learning, from September 2023 to December 2023
- Aged 18 or above to take part.
UK Wide Representation – My Food Community, connecting the nations
I think it’s quite easy when you’re working in a particular place to think there’s only one way of doing things, but at My Food Community, we’re listening to people from Northern Ireland, from Aberdeen, from all across England (and Wales), and we’re learning from each other.
Camilla Lovelace – StarGarAllot – My Food Community Member
My Food Community is truly a UK wide and community diverse programme, which adds another layer of value to the course and the experience had by so many of the participants. The first course had 39 emerging and established food leaders from across the UK enrolled, from Belfast to Bury, Swansea to Stockport.
The second version started in autumn 2022 with even more community leaders involved with 77 participants and an equally wide representation of people and communities from across the UK.
Please click on the interactive map below to discover the locations of our members.
Who do we work with and what does the course involve?
The My Food Community programme has been curated with expertise from Koreo, a leading learning consultancy who specialise in leadership for social change alongside organisations who are creating change across the food system and the My Food Community Alumni.
The online sessions are informative, interactive and spark inspiration. Workshops range from leadership theories, citizenship, visioning and collaboration. Reflective practice is built into each session and we all know learning has most meaning when it leads to action. That is why, My Food Community participants receive a grant to apply their learning.
Circle Platform
Connect and join forces
Connect and join forces
Keep connected - join the MFC network!
We are using the interactive Circle platform for all our My Food Community members to access resources and meetings as well as share learnings, ideas and help each other to problem solve.
Join the social platform to further connect outside of the organised events and sessions.