CoFED Generation

CoFED, the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive, eagerly announces a new CoFED “Generation” opportunity for seven students to spend a quarter, semester, or year learning through involvement at one of many established food projects on university campuses across the United States and Canada. And because this program coincides with the United Nations-declared International Year of the Cooperative, Generators will engage with federal policy initiatives, participate in business and food movement conferences, link up with Co-Cycle (a national bike tour), and collaborate with members of the Association of Cooperative Educators.

Part 1: Training retreat in Berkeley, California (January 5–10)

CoFED’s National Retreat will be taking place this January! Students will receive training on core co-op operations; including strategic marketing and planning, market and financial analysis, management and policy maintenance, business leadership and other critical tools. You will have the opportunity to share and receive feedback on your business plans while bonding with like-minded students working on cafés, markets, and mobile food carts on campuses across the country. By interacting with our trainers and experts (including Moosewood Cookbook author Mollie Katzen!), you will have the opportunity to create valuable connections and gain access to a wealth of resources for best-practices in your food collective and beyond.

Part 2: Generators Program (January onward)
The main component of this program will provide students with professional development opportunities for their current campus projects while creating a foundation for a career in food justice!  We will help Generators set up independent study projects and earn academic credit for their experience. Each Generator will receive support from CoFED’s core staff and we will help students partner with an on-campus adviser to earn academic credit for the work they complete.  We will also connect Generators with a diverse array of established student-run, cooperative food enterprises if you’re interested in participating in a work-study exchange in a new city, new school, and new food co-op.

Details:
The initial training retreat includes room & board and is free for Generators! Before December 1st we may also have some limited funds to support Generators travelling to the training.

Questions? Email fellowship@cofed.org or call 510 207 3850

Ready to apply? Fill out our short registration form