October 10, 2017
My interest in Feeding Laramie Valley formed during an afternoon rain shower that sent me scrambling for shelter at the local farmers market. Dodging the downpour with fellow community members, I found myself under the eaves of the FLV info booth, where I was introduced to a form of activism that had never before occurred to me: food. The rain dwindled, the clouds parted and my taste buds were politicized!
Food is a good common denominator. We all need it, we all deserve equitable access to it, and it’s something that brings us together. When done properly, food makes a difference for our children, our families, and our communities alike. For someone like me, whose interests are rooted in youth empowerment, environmental justice, and creative community-based problem solving, food takes on a different taste.
This fall, I entered the master in social work (MSW) program at the University of Wyoming, but I also decided to pursue a concurrent major in environment & natural resources (ENR). For some, this combination of disciplines is curious. For others, it’s a no-brainer. But for me, it’s both. The connection between one’s surrounding environment and one’s needs is often times invisible, but I think it’s existence is undeniable. My academic and my professional interests aim to deepen our awareness of that connection and to harness it through activism, advocacy, and education. Interning with FLV is an exciting opportunity for me in that it feeds my sense of curiosity around the topic, allows me to apply what I’m learning in class, and invites ideas to the kind of work that I hope to carry out in the future.
I’m Conor and I look forward to contributing more to this blog in the coming months!
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