ENGAGE Convergence 2009

Exciting Stuff - the ENGAGE Convergence was just announced on the Greenhorns blog!
Let's hope some Greenhorns in the Carolinas can join us for some exchange and future collaboration. I'm headed back to the U.S. from June 12 to July 8 - so I'll get to catch the Greenhorns Goat Spit Summer Throwdown event in Brooklyn, NYC. These two events could build new relationships between ENGAGE and the Greenhorns, and we can work together for a more sustainable and just food system.

Check out the ENGAGE Convergence announcement below:

Greenhorns, this is a solid opportunity for collaboration and activism. The convergence organizers would like to make farming and food activism a bigger part of ENGAGE. Let’s help them do that!

The ENGAGE Convergence brings students, educators, organizers, community members, and other allies together to reflect on the year’s work, to share victories and struggles, to learn from one another, and to set a course for the coming year.

Past Convergences have been held in Boston, Oakland, San Francisco, and Virginia. This is the second year that the Spartanburg Educators for Empowered Communities (SEEC) will host the Convergence in Upstate South Carolina, and it is the first year that SEEC will host the Convergence entirely in its home community of Glendale (photo inserted above).

Dates: Friday, June 26th to Sunday, June 28th. Please try to arrive in the early evening on Friday, and plan to stay through the late afternoon of Sunday. We hope to have as many folks as possible stay for introductions and evaluations. A more specific agenda is forthcoming.

Costs: The Convergence funds itself from what the participants can pay on a sliding scale. This year, the funding scale will be from $40.00 to $60.00. We will collect your contribution at Friday evening’s registration. Costs will go towards: food for Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning and afternoon; gas expenses for local coordinators during the Convergence; office/workshop supplies for the weekend; and honorariums for guest speakers, workshop facilitators, and community hosts. Please bring extra money if you intend to purchase alcohol, cigarettes, or anything outside of basic meals.

Also, please do not let costs prohibit you from being a part of the Convergence. If you have any concerns about paying, please contact spartanburgeducators@gmail.com so that something can be worked out.