Recently, a group of TFP staff and youth went to the 2005 Community Food Security Conference in Atlanta. This is one in a series of reflections on that event.

For two days before the Community Food Security Coalition Conference, BLAST ran pre-conference days for the youth delegation. With over 40 energetic people from all over the country, we came together tos hare our work, build our understandings of community food security, and prepare for the broader conference.

It’s hard to describe the exact feelings of these days to people who were not there, but the energy level was amazing as everyone met each other, learned about innovative and creative projects going on throughout the country, and learned that they are not alone in their work. If the BLAST Youth group was on David Letterman in the “Is this something” game, both Letterman and Paul would say that it was something. Seeing these youth learn from each other, build connections for the future, and continually inspire each other provided everyone with the energy to joyfully complete the long days.

Within the youth team, there was significant learning and inspiration between various groups. The best way that I can think of to explain this is by comparing it with siblings in a family. The younger people see the older ones as role models who have projects, beliefs, and dedication that can be strived for. In addition, the older ones gain inspiration from the younger members who are already showing tremendous innovation and energy. Like with siblings, the younger ones can now strive to do even more and the older ones need to continue working to stay ahead. After all, seeing 16 year-olds who have already done more than I have, I feel a little inspiration to continue working hard.