Structure

Animators (A-Team)

Animators are the face of and driving force behind the People’s Food Policy Project. As such, they will be responsible for most of the grassroots organizing related to this project to gather regional interests, priorities, and visions and to represent these to the national project. Animators are people who are already engaged in leadership and community mobilization on issues related to food sovereignty locally, regionally or provincially.

Steering Team (S-Team)

The Steering team sets the overall direction of the People’s Food Policy Project. Steering Team members are responsible with coming to decisions by consensus, regarding the processes, structures, priorities and strategies of the project. This may include: decisions regarding project methodology and strategy, timeline, alliance building, communications, etc. Members of this team are expected to contribute at least 5 hours per month to the project, which includes attending the monthly meeting and either a small task between meetings or participation in another team.

Management Team (M-Team)

The management team (M-Team) members include Cathleen Kneen (Chair of Food Secure Canada), Eric Chaurette (Inter Pares) and Amanda Sheedy (National Coordinator). They manage the administration and conduct the operations of the PFPP, including: making day-to-day decisions regarding the operations of the project, human resources, reporting, administration, file keeping, spending, and accountability to funders. When faced with broader or more critical questions that go beyond the Management Team’s mandate, it will prepare questions or proposals for discussion and present these to the Steering Committee for final decision making.

This small working group was established to ensure that the PFPP’s structures, processes and decisions are imbued with mutual respect between Indigenous communities and individuals and non-Indigenous communities and individuals. The Indigenous Circle’s role is to remind us throughout the process of the ways in which we embody our colonial history and to assist us in working towards a new way of working. It is currently developing a Protocol to provide this guidance.

Indigenous Circle

Policy Writing Teams

This coordinated set of teams will be responsible for drafting and refining the People’s Food Policy between September 2009 and October 2010. Their task is not to come up with the policy ideas themselves (although they are welcome to add their own opinions) but rather to synthesize and frame the policy submissions that are generated by the animators at kitchen table meetings and through the PFPP website. Each team will also engage in background research where needed. Each of the policy writing teams (PWT) will unite around one theme / issue (ex: food and poverty, seeds, urban planning, etc.) and be led by a chair. The chair will represent their PWT on the Policy Writing Circle, which will ensure that the final product, the People’s Food Policy, is a coherent and comprehensive document that is reflective of our unity and diversity.

Communication Team

The communication team is working to develop the People's Food Policy Project's public profile, in addition to positioning the project as a legitimate voice representing civil society's vision regarding our food systems.  The team will contribute to mobilizing citizen participation in public conversations, which will take place in autumn 2010.