The 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge is now in its 9th year, growing from humble numbers to over 7,000 organizations and individuals participating in 2022.
There are lots of challenges like this out there – just google it! So why is this one special, and why is your Co-op talking about it? The Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge comes from Food Solutions New England at UNH, so it’s a local thing. It focuses on food, food systems, agriculture, land access, and related topics, which are all near and dear to our cooperative hearts.
Plus the whole idea syncs up really well with Cooperative Principle #5, which encourages Co-ops to participate in Education, Training, & Information. This Challenge is just 21 days, making it a manageable way to educate yourself about what food goes into your body, and all the ways our food choices affect the world in which we live.
It also fits in with our DEI Statement, along with the four pillars of education, accountability, communications, and sustainability.
We all eat, right? The food cycle – including farms, processing, distribution, marketing, shopping, eating, and of course, waste – has a massive impact not just on ourselves and our health, but also on the environment and on our communities. It’s become clear, especially during the pandemic, that our food system requires an overhaul in order to be sustainable. This challenge is a wonderful way for each of us to learn the part we play in co-creating a thriving future, for ourselves and future generations.
So, what’s the challenge? It typically happens in April (but you can do the reading anytime!), so if you sign up with Food Solutions you’ll receive a daily email prompt with a short reading, video, or audio file. You can work at your own pace, and are encouraged to take about ten to fifteen minutes each day with the material in the prompt, plus extra resources will be provided in case you want to dig further into the day’s topic. You have the option to log into an online forum if you’d like to discuss the prompts in a supported and moderated environment. You’re also encouraged to share your experience on social media using the hashtag #FSNEEquityChallenge and have conversations with friends, co-workers, or other community members who may also be doing the Challenge.
Visit the Food Solutions website to learn more and register for this April:
www.foodsolutionsne.org/21-day-racial-equity-habit-building-challenge
Join A Co-op Discussion Group
Becky, our Community Outreach Coordinator, will be doing the challenge along with some of our staff here at the Co-op! We’ve heard from a few people that they’d be interested in doing this together at some point in early summer, and we would love to have Members, employees, and even Board Directors get involved and get our own discussion group going this year.
If you’d like to join us in the cafe to chat about the Challenge once a week or so, feel free to drop your contact info below. Or just reach out to Becky: bcolpitts@littletoncoop.org.
