Recently, a group of TFP staff and youth went to the 2005 Community Food Security Conference in Atlanta. Phallin was one of the TFP youth that attended.

Something practical I learned here was at a workshop about healthy eating. I learned a lot about the effects of unhealthy food, the barriers that created them, and solutions to the barriers and effects. I would probably try to follow the process they explained to have a healthier eating style. I could teach my parents to cook and bring them fresh local food from the farm in Lynn.

I also met my goal of learning what CFSC is and being able to explain it to people at home, by going to the workshop CFSC 101. I can go back and report to the North Shore site what CFSC is. I learned some of the economic, social, cultural diversity, environmental health ties.

One challenge for me at this conference was networking. I find it hard to approach a stranger and start talking to them. But the tips that BLAST came up with for overcoming this helped me a lot. One of the tips I used was asking questions. I think I could have gotten more contact cards.