By Maegan Beatty
Every summer, the University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) partners with the World Food Prize Foundation to develop a youth education program called the Florida Youth Institute (FYI). Students from across Florida, as well as other states, write a research paper about a developing country of their choice and one specific issue or challenge that country may be facing. If selected from their application and research paper, students get the opportunity to spend a week on the University of Florida campus and attend several sessions regarding the impact of food insecurity and how researchers and agriculturalists are working to make a more food secure world.
SESSION CONTENT
After arriving on campus, students begin their week with a packed schedule. On the day of their arrival, students attend an immersive session regarding poverty and how it affects individuals across the world. In 2020, the percentage of the world population that suffers from undernourishment rose from 8.4% to 9.9%. In this session, students were able to take the place of those who were food insecure and undernourished. This helped them put into perspective the serious issue of food insecurity.
During the rest of the week, students were able to travel around Gainesville to places such as the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (CAIP), the Entomology and Nematology Department, the Animal Sciences Department, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and the Division of Plant Industry at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Participants also got the chance to tour the North Florida Research and Education Center in Live Oak, Florida.
At each of these sessions and tours, the students were able to see how food insecurity ties into all areas of agriculture, as well as all the career options the industry has to offer. At the end of the week, participants engage in a roundtable discussion about their research paper and possible solutions they suggest based on what they learned throughout the week. Based on these discussions, a few selected students will have the chance to attend the Global Youth Institute located in Des Moines, Iowa.
IMPACTS
This program has had lasting impacts for students, no matter their background or previous agricultural experience.
“FYI impacted my perspective on agriculture by helping me realize the diverse areas that it occupies,” said April Salva, 2023 FYI counselor and former FYI participant. “Coming from a background with no agricultural knowledge, it funneled my perspective and appreciation of the work of many to provide the food, clothing and shelter that we have.”
Another purpose of the FYI program is to help students find possible careers they might be interested in.
“As a past participant of the Florida Youth Institute, it diversified my perspectives on Florida agriculture and exposed me to careers in the industry,” said Lana Guzman, 2023 FYI counselor and current University of Florida undergraduate student. “The Florida Youth Institute showed me the difference I can make by pursuing a degree to become an agriculture educator.”
FUTURE DATES
The applications for the 2024 Florida Youth Institute open in late December of this year. The week one and two session dates are as follows:
- Week 1: July 7-12, 2024
- Week 2: July 14-19, 2024
For more information about the program or the application process, visit the CALS website.