Reimagining School Lunch

Initially, the ‘Reimagining School Lunch' (RSL) series was created as an opportunity for us to take a step back and really look at the current school lunch system. It’s about working together, building allies, and utilizing an innovative process where we can collaborate on a shared vision of making a difference in the school lunch system in our valley and in our state.  With the assistance of workshop participants engaged in the process and by creating a space of listening, connecting, and understanding, new ideas and insights can emerge.  Much amazing work has been done to get local food in our schools, and there is still so much potential for re-thinking how we feed our kids.

The facilitation of the events uses tools from Theory-U, a social theory process that is part of the Presencing Institute, developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and modeled after a successful initiative to transform the food system in Brazil.  This initiative was formed out of a 5-part inquiry and innovation lab facilitated in early 2019 called Building A Stronger Bitterroot. This process is a way to look at challenges in our community and engage in societal innovation.

This Innovation Lab process is funded from a grant to the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority from the MT Dept. of Agriculture, designating them as a Food and Ag Resource Center and supporting this project.  MT Department of Ag will receive the information learned from the events and the prototypes as deliverables for the grant.  Laura Garber, Director of Cultivating Connections & Kris Byer are leading the design and facilitation of this event series, with the assistance of a volunteer planning committee, and with coaching from the Presencing Institute.