Chicago Food Justice Summit - Call for Presenters (21st Annual)

Chicago Food Justice Summit - Call for Presenters

Event: 21st Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit

Organizers: Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) in partnership with Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events (DCASE) and Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH)

Geographic Scope: Chicagoland food system

Overview:
The Chicago Food Justice Summit invites proposals from presenters to share meaningful knowledge, build strong relationships, and engage in conversations to envision the food future together. This is an annual summit that has been cultivating the food justice ecosystem for 20+ years, bringing together leaders and emerging forces from all over the food system—farmers, producers, culture workers, academics, policy makers, and beyond.

Summit Focus:
The summit explores ways to strengthen and scale the food system while planning and preparing for economic, social, and environmental challenges ahead. Sessions seek to build a system that:

• Allows folks equitable access to food that excites and nourishes them
• Empowers growers and food workers for economic success
• Honors the Earth and her inhabitants
• Centers community and intergenerational stewardship
• Is scalable to food needs
• Is resilient to future disasters and disruptions
• Is vibrant for many generations to come

Eligibility:

• All are invited to submit proposals
• Can be individuals, panels, workshops, or interactive sessions
• Artists, creatives, growers, and healers welcome to host hands-on activities
• Presentations breaking the norm of virtual presentation welcome as long as they adhere to the spirit of collective care

Presentation Options:

• Generally looking for 75-minute lectures, panel discussions, or interactive workshops
• Open to other structures and time frames
• In-depth sessions may need to be longer than 75 minutes for audience participation and development
• Hands-on activities can be shorter than 75 minutes

Speaker Compensation:

• $50 stipend provided for each presentation

Selection Criteria

Proposals evaluated using a rubric that assesses:

• Relevancy to the Chicagoland food system
• Understanding of the annual theme
• Commitment to racial equity, social justice, and food sovereignty
• Presentation in an engaging, interactive, or unique manner

Selection Process: Volunteer Summit Leadership team blind scores proposals

Accessibility & Disability Justice

Commitment: Working to make the summit accessible to everyone

Accessibility Features:

• Dedicated "Strategies for Accessibility" working group leading research and implementation
• Live Spanish interpretation
• American Sign Language interpretation at all live sessions
• Captioning available
• Registration question asking for needed services/features with direct follow-up
• Direct outreach to disability advocates and food justice leaders with disabilities to ensure diverse presenters
• Free summit for all to attend

Note: Funding is the main barrier to expanded accessibility; CFPAC is a small nonprofit

How to Apply

Proposal Requirements:

Keep answers to 350 words or less

Note: Evaluation is not impacted by length or brevity of proposal

Proposal length guideline is not strict

Proposal Content:

Proposals evaluated on relevance to Chicagoland food system, understanding of annual theme, commitment to racial equity/social justice/food sovereignty, and engaging/interactive/unique presentation style

Full list of RFP (Request for Proposal) questions available as PDF download

Selection:

Volunteer Summit Leadership team blind scores all proposals

Approximately 50 proposals reviewed

Submission:

Submit application via online form (exact URL not specified in provided text, but application portal mentioned as available)

Both English and Spanish applications accepted

Bilingual support available

Application Support:

Full list of RFP questions available for download as PDF

Next Steps After Selection:

Selected presenters receive $50 stipend for their presentation

Invited to participate in the Food Justice Summit