MAS: Costumes from Hartford's Caribbean Community, Exhibit Opening - Join us!!

From July 16 until August 17th, eight teens in ICR's "Food Fight! A Teen Participatory Action Research Project to promote an Equitable Food System" will learn PAR methods and conduct research in Hartford on their choice of topic related to food justice. Teens are learning about food justice, global/local food systems and the challenges of making nutritious inexpensive food available in urban areas such as Hartford. Their research question investigates whether or not farmers' markets in the city are teen-friendly, compared to other locations where teens feel comfortable. They are examining issues including; peers' knowledge of farmers' markets, youth friendly spaces, foods teens eat and where youth purchase food for themselves, teens' opinions of farmers' markets as places to buy food and places to hangout, opinions of quality/nutritious foods and their accessibility to teens, and the amount of control that teens have in determining what they eat.  They are also considering the challenges farmers' markets face in surviving and their capacity to increase youth friendliness.  Youth are mapping, observing, surveying, conducting in-depth interviews, photographing and videographing. The youth researchers will present their research results to different audiences, including other Hartford youth, the general public and policymakers.  Their first public presentation of their data is August 17th, at ICR, 5:00-7:30p.m.  at the Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery, at the Institute for Community Research, 2 Hartford Square West Suite 100, 146 Wyllys St, Hartford, CT. followed by a discussion of community action strategies for creating youth friendly farmers markets, food-friendly youth spaces, and improved access to healthier raw and prepared foods. The project is a collaboration of ICR and Hartford Food System, and is funded by the Perrin Foundation. Click here to view photos from the project.