Back to Unbox - The Future of School Foo

Unbox SY24-25 applications are live! All applications from rising 7th through 12th graders are due by 11:59 pm on Friday September 13, 2024. NOTE THE DEADLINE WAS EXTENDED! Spanish and English applications are available at: https://tinyurl.com/UnboxDPS

Join us!!

 

School food, including breakfast, lunch, snacks, field trip meals, and more, is fundamentally a program FOR students. We recognize that up until now, students have not had much say in how school food is thought about, talked about, designed, or implemented. And we’re ready to change that. Forty five students applied to join the inaugural Unbox cohort, and after a careful review of applications and phone interviews, 16 students were selected for Unbox SY23-24. They represent 6 grades, 9 schools, and a wealth of ideas, questions, and dreams for the future of DPS school food.

Unbox Year End Celebration

May 16, 2024

Farm Dinner in collaboration with our partners at the Hub Farm and the NHS Flaming Knights

An evening celebrating our students working across the food system for delicious change - from Hub Farm garden interns to culinary pros to food policy council leaders. Our deepest gratitude for your hard work, curiosity, and commitment.

 

Unbox Session 6

April 2024

More soon

 

Unbox Session 5

March 2024

More soon

 

Unbox Session 4

February 2024

More soon

 

Unbox Session 3

January 2024

More soon

 

Unbox Session 2

December 2023

Coming up next: we'll dive into how we want to structure Unbox, who wants to lead what projects, Food Systems 101, plus more good food and fellowship.

 

Unbox Session 1

November 2023

Unbox students and staff met for the first time at the DPS Hub Farm on a cool November evening to kickoff this radically new program. We toured the farm, harvested veggies, made our own salad, shared a delicious meal prepared by DPS's own Chef Bridgette, brainstormed what we want to learn together, gave a first round of ideas of what we'd like to see on the DPS middle and high school lunch menus, and more. 

Why Unbox?

Unbox is what we're calling all future-thinking projects in DPS school food. We're thinking outside the box. We're inviting students and staff to eat outside the lunchbox (eat school meals instead). We're unboxing our minds and imagining what school food could be. As our most important and radical DPS school food project, Unbox is the name we're giving the DPS Youth School Food Policy Council. Also we're calling it Unbox because that other name is just too long to repeat over and over again.

Why a DPS Youth School Food Policy Council?

We’ve thought about what a school food policy council will do, including training you to be an advocate for food justice, strengthening your leadership skills, increasing your knowledge of the food system, and being a link between your peers and their school food system. We’re also pretty sure the inaugural group of school food policy council students will teach us just as much about how this group should function and act in order to achieve your vision of the future of DPS school meals.

What does being part of the DPS Youth School Food Policy Council mean?

  • You’re agreeing to meet at least 8 times over the course of the school year to learn, teach, taste, share, and grow along with 10-20 other DPS student advocates and leaders from across the district.

  • We’re anticipating a monthly meeting in the evening and/or on a weekend (never during the school day).

  • Students are responsible for getting themselves to meetings, and the program will reimburse any reasonable costs for transportation you incur.

  • Students will receive $25 gift cards per meeting as payment for their hard work and time during the eight planned meetings; students who opt to participate in the evaluation of the program will receive additional $25 gift card payments.

  • Members of the DPS School Food Policy Council agree to learn together and work together to make positive change for all DPS schools through advocacy and action to change DPS school food for the better.

Who is eligible to apply? Current 7th-12th graders enrolled in a DPS school.

Who is organizing this group? Dr. Linden Thayer, Assistant Director of Food Systems Planning for DPS, in partnership with Duke University, Durham County DINE school-based nutrition specialists, school nutrition staff, and many community-based organizations.

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