This is a CTP of initiative: Slow Food Mexico
The CTP consists on the constitution, in Mexico, of the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN). This network gathers groups of active young Slow Food members and supporters in a global informal network, which acts as a “think tank of ideas and activities” within an international association. The creation of the Mexican branch of the Slow Food youth network coincides with the visit to Mexico -on May 2013- of the leader of the Slow Food Movement, Carlo Petrini and Joris Lohman, leader of the Slow Food Youth Network, who encouraged young people to become more active in the movement and joining the global SFYN.
The creation of the youth network entails the expansion of the Slow Food movement over the Mexican territory (not only in the capital of the country and closest cities). A small group of young food activists started to spread the Slow Food discourse in several universities and local forums, engaging young activists -not only chefs or students- but also food producers. The Youth Network follows the mentioned principle of “austere anarchy”, doing a reinterpretation of what being a slow food member means.
The network functions as an informal community of interest that brings together people who care about the same issues and organize around those, by doing activities or awareness events. They are not obligated to pay any fee. They do not need to be accepted as a regular member of Slow Food. They just are encouraged to participate:
This made a difference with what existed before. Slow Food used to be a rigid structure, more established; which involved paying a membership fee. It also involved a difference concerning the activities that used to be conducted. After launching the network, we started to participate in exhibitions, we went to universities… there are many places to spread the movement but we learnt that the most enthusiastic people were always the young people
Even, the age is not a subject of discussion. Being younger means to “feel younger”, which clearly changes the ambitions of the movement in Mexico:
The Slow Food Youth Network is very important because it draws much attention. People perceive it as a very positive initiative. People from inside and outside the organization. Conceptually, the SFYN facilitated that many people could join Slow Food, without going through the formality of the established partnership structure. The youth network is completely informal. People only need to want to be part of the network, being or feeling young. Youth for us has another age range. You may be young in mind and spirit rather than physically
Regional leaders travelled across the country, meeting face to face with slow food local leaders. Also, they tried to support and empower those convivium leaders and, sometimes, closing those convivia that, in fact, did not exist. The network started to conduct small projects across the Mexican territory, increasing the acknowledgement of the network and preparing themselves to participate in the 2014 edition of Slow Food international events Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre:
People started to believe in the movement. The local groups, the convivia, felt that they had some kind of support, we tried to empower local groups with good ideas, initiatives and in 2014, we assumed a second challenge: to prepare the participation of SFYN Mexico delegation in Terra Madre - Salone del Gusto, a very important Slow Food event organized in Italy. The selection of young candidates was the most challenging experience the Youth Network ever had
On May 2013, (from 20 to 22 May), “Mesamérica” Conference took place in Mexico. It was a multidisciplinary event on cooking that brought together several different leading figures. Carlo Petrini took part in the event, accompanied by Joris Lohman, a member of the Slow Food Executive Committee and leader of the Slow Food Youth Network movement. Both participated in several meetings and conferences. Concretely, Slow Food organizes at the University of Las Américas (City of Puebla) a conference with both Carlo Petrini and Joris Lohman as keynote speakers. Besides, the Slow Food International leaders organized a meeting with the Slow Food associates and announced the “reboot” and modernization of the international organization (named “Slow Food 2.0”).
In 2013 the National Youth Network was launched. It was ignited by the visit, at the beginning of the year, of Carlo Petrini, Joris Lohman and Andrea Amato, the Slow Food regional coordinator for Central America and the Caribbean region. They organized an assembly of all the people involved in the network at the time they launched the campaign “Slow Food 2.0”, with a slogan of "austere anarchy" which meant a "free interpretation of the movement" as long as we were engaged in doing something. We were allowed to run the youth network with autonomy, taking care of our resources and maintain an united attitude to the work we are doing. It is a turning point, because it is an intended call to put aside selfishness and fulfil the purpose of the movement.
This event, and the persuasive discourse of Petrini and Lohman, who stand for the relevance of young people in the Slow Food movement, motivated the formation of the Mexican Slow Food Youth Network, which started firstly in the city of Puebla (where the regional coordinator works) and later, in Mexico City. In the beginning only few people were involved in the project. Andrea Amato –the regional coordinator- supported the movement from Bra, providing methodologies and tools for “working in the field”.
Alfonso Rocha, the Slow Food International counsellor for Mexico and Central America, (who has headed the national organization since 2012) takes the challenge of creating the youth network and invites some colleagues and friends, like Eduardo Correa, to join the organization.
Alfonso begins to involve young and not so young people, of all the regions that had built the movement so far and started to activate people and give a bit of direction that everyone required
Nowadays, the youth network has expanded over 6 cities across the country (, México City, Michoacán, Puebla & Tlaxcala). The creation of the youth network is closely related to the expansion of the slow food network in Mexico. Both events are related and coproduced by the same group of people. Also, this critical turning point represents an example of the role of international network in social innovation, introducing new projects and empowering young people to work on the ground.
It should be mentioned as well that most of the people that joined the youth network were volunteers, strongly committed with the Slow Food movement, who invest time and resources spreading the Slow Food discourse (for example, attending the World Food Day forum on food security organized by the FAO; celebrating Terra Madre Day in Mexico City and Puebla, etc.) and managed to gain some funds and resources to strengthen the network:
From the beginning, we involved highly valuable young people to the network. All of us were volunteers. In fact, currently, much of the work done is volunteer work. In these days, we are beginning to lead a few interesting projects that could provide financial support to young people and others who have been involved in the movement for a long time. SFYN is growing and consolidating in México. We really want to make the difference. This motivates that more people, new members regardless of age, join the movement. They truly believe in the movement
Several previous events were mentioned by the interviewee. The first is the foundation of Slow Food Mexico, in Mexico DF, in 1996. The chef Alicia Gironella and the researcher Giorgio De'Angeli are considered the pioneers who introduced the Slow Food discourse in Mexico. In the beginning, Slow Food was strongly linked to the El Tajin restaurant, owned by Gironella.
During the first years, Slow Food was located in the city of Mexico, in special until 2007, when the Slow Food International Network celebrates its International Congress in Puebla (a neighboring city from Mexico DF) in November 2007. This Conference appealed to a new generation of food activists that, later, joined the movement and started a process of modernization of the Mexican branch.
The third event mentioned by the interviewee was the election of Alfonso Rocha as a new member of the Slow Food International Council for Mexico and Central America (who is still an international counsellor) during the celebration of the VI International Conference of Slow Food, in October 2012. Rocha was named the person in chard to renovate the Slow Food association in Mexico.
The congress can also be understood as a critical turning point, because it meant that a wider audience could participate and connect with what Slow Food represents in the global context. Also, the “Manifesto de Puebla”, approved in this congress, emphasizes the role of youth within the organization, encouraging the active participation of young people in Slow Food
After creating the youth network, the new leaders of Slow Food Mexico organized in 2014 a national meeting with all Slow Food associates. This gathering facilitates face-to-face encounters, enhancing trust relations among the more active members of the organization. Slow Food leaders visited several universities to spread the word about SFYN and Slow Food. Later, they were invited to attend the World Food Day Forum on food security (organized by the FAO’s local representation and the local government agencies).
Finally, the interviewee also mentions the participation of the Slow Food Youth Network in the international events 2014 Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre. For most of people engaged in the network, it was their first opportunity to connect to the Slow Food International Movement and learning from this unique experience. The Mexican branch gained in cohesion and was able to expand the initiative:
Attending the Salone del Gusto was a highly motivating experience, participants feel very engaged, involved and empowered. The participatory mechanism to involve the candidates was very challenging, but the reward was very exciting to them. It took about a year of hard work and persuasion, but the youth who attended Salone del Gusto came back highly motivated and some continue to participate within the youth network and spread the Slow Food message across the territory
The creation of the Mexican Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN), in 2013, had not contestation at the beginning, due to the fact that even Carlo Petrini supported and endorsed young leaders to carry on the initiative. However, opposition emerged when the young members aimed to change the internal organization, its structure, and the way the network relates with other organizations, people, and institutions.
Young members seek a “revolution” within the Mexican branch of Slow Food, and they did it with the acquiescence of the international network. In consequence, some pioneers, mostly senior practitioners, were quite reluctance with this “radical change”. They feel uncomfortable, because change was based on the criticism of certain practices that the former leaders conducted in Mexico:
Slow Food was a close and almost elitist movement oriented to high classes who could afford enjoying good food in good restaurants
The new leaders aimed to increase the number of associates, enhancing the creation of new convivia. Experienced members feel that they were relegated to second place, they concern about losing power within the organization.
At that time, there was a particular group of people who belonged to the old guard of the movement, trying not to lose their privileges and the exclusivity that they had so far, being them the only ones who were part of that movement. To the date there is still resistance, but less every time, as we are not trying to impose a single vision, I must recognize that some decisions and major changes have been made unilaterally, but always with a good intention and the authorization of the coordinators in Italy
We cannot say that this contestation was concretely against the Slow Food Youth Network. However, opposition arises against the new practices and the change of vision –and goals and frames- within the organization that the new leaders introduced. Interviewees also say that resistance still exists within the movement, but gradually decreased over time. Besides, young members learned to negotiate and establish a common approach capable of addressing the two inner visions, and able to meet the ambitions of all of them. According to the interviewee, Slow food is now a place where members feel comfortable and satisfied:
Because all aspirations are suitable and right. One of the strengths of this organization is its multidisciplinary approach and the plurality and diversity of backgrounds of the people that compose it
When the President of Slow Food, Carlo Petrini, and other members of the European organization, came to Mexico to create the regional branch of the Slow Food Youth Network, they were anticipating the dimension that this new informal organization will gain within the movement. There was an interest in Mexico -as well as in the Slow Food International Association- to create the Mexican branch of Slow Food Youth network. Previous events hosted in Mexico, such as the celebration of the Slow Food International Congress in Puebla, in 2007, focused on the need of renewing network´s structures, encouraging young people to join the movement.
Expectations were also grounded on successful previous experiences in Europe. For example, in the Netherlands or Germany, where the creation of the youth network involved a qualitative and quantitative change within the national organizations (modernization, increasing the number of members, more social impact...). However, practitioners remark that one idea or project cannot be just replicated or spread across the world without adaptation or reinterpretation, according to the specific social context. Interviewee explain this idea in the following quote:
It was rather an appropriation of the idea that they (Petrini and other colleagues from Italy and Netherlands) came to implement. We did a reinterpretation of the original idea that Carlo Petrini presented to us. We approached a group of young people who were interested in food and gastronomy. We launched the Youth Network but adapting it to the Mexican territory. We were aware that many Slow Food activities are not suitable to the Mexican territory. We have done it well. We have also been able to engage a number of proactive people, with great ideas, who knew how to boost the network. The moderate success we had in Slow Food is thanks to new members who joined the organization through the youth network
Many people within Slow Food Mexico share the opinion that 2013 was a critical turning point in the terms explained above. However, the confrontation between two sides of the organization means that not all people were able to anticipate the relevance of this change (based on previous experiences) and not everybody helped to make the change possible.
There is that feeling that 2013 was a turning point, of course, mostly shared by people involved within the movement but also for outsiders. Actually, many people in Mexico think that Slow Food started in 2012-2013. The acknowledgement of the association increased a lot in these days. However, we need to recognize that most of the things that we are able to do now would not have been possible without the work that pioneers did before, without the existing contacts, because they also have worked well in certain areas
The main lesson that the interviewee learned about this CTP is related to the acquisition of communication and social skills, to persuade other young people to join the initiative, being able to build a persuasive discourse oriented to fulfil existing needs and ambitions:
Honestly, I have learned about methodologies, social dynamics and building groups. I am not an expert on human resources but I have empathy and willingness. I have no training regarding this issues, I had to learn a lot on the go
Besides, young people need to find a place suitable to make their dreams true, and slow food practitioners were able to create an informal network where other young food activists found a place where to work -together with other like-minded people- and being capable to achieve their goals, with autonomy and freedom, and change local context:
The main learning I've ever had is that Mexican young people have a great ambition to change things they do not like, but they find difficult to find out the way to do that, they can't see the media, the resources, how to channel this momentum we have
Groups are really autonomous. We are a grassroots-based network, grounded on community work. Each group is free to decide its structure, their legal status, as well as their activities. Considering the spatial context of this country, it would have been impossible to reach to more people. Expanding the network is something that we have in mind, but it only could be possible if we maintain the autonomy of each group
Autonomy and perception of freedom manifest as relevant factors that contribute to the success of the initiative as well as transparency, cooperation and collaborative leadership. Interviewee considers that being a good leader involves to take into consideration the knowledge and experience of each new associate. Members are able to do the expected work without “mentoring” but the network provides insightful knowledge and support:
At the beginning, we wanted to establish a Decalogue that helped people to activate the youth network. So we wrote down some points about what the network means. We realized that it was redundant. They already share the vision; they had the notion of what could be done. They only needed the verification of their ideas, to be part of a wider network. We opened the network to people who aimed to collaborate with Slow Food. Many of these new associates had already done a good work on their own and now, they are gradually embracing our discourse
Social learning is related with sharing experiences, knowledge and mutual learning. Sharing information and working together for a common cause creates strong bones within the most engaged people. The Interviewee acknowledges that the feeling of doing something positive is a strong motivation to keep going.
I think we have learnt to create our spaces, with our own resources, in coordination between several young people interested and proactive, and thus to transform our reality
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