In late June nine Farm to School Teams gathered on the shores of Lake Champlain at Shelburne Farms for the Northeast Farm to School Institute kickoff retreat. Over the three-day retreat, school teams had the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in relationship building, learning journeys, and the development of a Farm to School action plan to bring back to their school for the 2023-2024 school year.
The Institute, hosted by Vermont FEED, is a unique year-long professional learning opportunity for selected school, district, or early childhood teams from New England and New York. For many folks working in education, the institute is a chance to slow down, connect, and immerse themselves in creative ways of thinking about Farm to School outside the usual boundaries of tight deadlines and time constraints.