• Up for the Challenge?

    Addressing Food Justice

    The Changemaker Challenge invites University of San Diego students, faculty, and staff to employ their imagination, passion, and hard work to generate ideas addressing a current social challenge.

    The 2021 Changemaker Challenge topic is addressing food justice.

    To enter the Challenge, students can work individually or in teams to address one of the four prompts provided by our community partners (Farm Forward and Bayside Community Center). Students will provide a 2-3 minute video that addresses the questions below. A team of judges will select the top entries to be awarded cash prizes. The community partners will select the most feasible ideas to pilot in the spring semester. The Hub will continue to support any students who want to continue to develop their projects.

  • Our Community Challenges to Address

    As Identified by our Partners

    Students are invited to select one of the following prompts:

    1. Farm Forward

    Option A:
    • How might we help university students understand the impact of factory-farmed animal products on marginalized communities, climate change, animal welfare, and public health in a way that leads to personal change?
    Option B:
    • How might we create a culture where plant-based food choices are the default option in university settings?

    2. Bayside Community Center

    Option A:
    • How might we create ways of getting food to families and seniors in the Linda Vista community in a way that increases Bayside’s outreach, and impacts and supports local businesses?

    Learn more about each of these prompts. Read the Community Partner briefs!

     
    (Community Partner briefs will be available by August 5, 2021)

  • Meet Our Community Partners

    Farm Forward

    Until No Animals Suffer on Factory Farms

    Farm Forward is a team of strategists, campaigners, and thought leaders helping guide the movement to change the way the world eats and farms. Their vision looks beyond incremental suffering reduction on factory farms, towards the institutional and cultural change that will end factory farming. Read Farm Forward's Changemaker Challenge Brief (Available by August 5th, 2021).

    Bayside Community Center

    Addressing Food Insecurity in a Food Desert

    Bayside’s mission is to empower our diverse community to improve its quality of life through services, education, and advocacy. Bayside offers a number of programs and initiatives focused on promoting community connection and economic self-sufficiency, a few them are food-related initiatives, among them: Bayside Environmental Learning Center, Food Production and Recovery, Garden Therapy and Tiny Gardens. Read Bayside Community Center's Changemaker Challenge Brief (Available by August 5th, 2021).

     

  • The following ideas were selected to be piloted in the Spring 2021 Semester

    PATH: A Voice for the Homeless Podcast

    PATH: Community Garden

    Think Dignity: Boutique Boxes

    Think Dignity: Mobile Sanitation-Use of Vital Oxide

  • Changemaker Challenge FAQ

    What is the Changemaker Challenge?

    The Changemaker Challenge is the Changemaker Hub’s annual idea competition that invites students to employ their imagination, grit, and passion for generating ideas to address a current social challenge posed by local San Diego community partners. This competition provides students with the opportunity to work on an urgent challenge, acquire practical experience, transferable skills, and additional support building their idea. The winning ideas are adapted to create real change in the community, and students will have the option to continue with the pilot idea and network with these local organizations.

    What are the Changemaker Challenge's rules for eligibility?

    Update available Aug 5

    What have been past Changemaker Challenge topics?

    In previous years, the Changemaker Challenge has addressed topics related to waste (2012, 2013), water (2014-2016), equity and access: health, education, and housing (2017, 2018), and homelessness, displacement, and migration (2019, 2020).

    What awards and prizes are available to Changemaker Challenge participants?

    By November 29, a panel of judges will select and announce the 10 best proposals from which the community partner will select the ideas to pilot in the spring semester. Students who submitted ideas to be piloted will receive a cash prize.

    Do I have to use the prize money for the project?

    Any award money will go directly to students who win, and the Changemaker Hub will fund the pilot projects for the ideas.

    Can I reuse work I have already submitted for a course or work that I have presented/ published elsewhere, or work that I have done/ am doing with others who are not on my Changemaker Challenge team?

    You are welcome to reuse and build upon any of your own previous work. However, we ask that you cite all the sources that you use, including your own.

    How do I enter the Changemaker Challenge? 

    The platform to enter can be accessed through the My San Diego account. Please visit the Changemaker Challenge Website regularly for more detailed information.

    Changemaker Challenge Application

    Applications are due Monday, November 22nd, 2021 (midnight).

    Submit your application today. The link will take you to the MySanDiego Portal, where you can input your personal information and was well as team information if you are entering as a team.

     

    For any questions on the Changemaker Challenge or issues with this application, please email changemaker@sandiego.edu

  • Resources

    Great Content Designed to Support You!

    TED Talks Inspiration

    This playlist explores the issues related to this year's theme, Addressing Food Justice. Watching these TED Talks is a great place to begin to learn about how experts in the field are already addressing these issues in their own communities.

    Additional TED Talks for this year's Addressing Food Justice theme include:

    Ron Finley: A guerrilla gardener in South Central LA 

    Ilana Braverman: Moving Beyond a Hamburger Default World

    Films

    Eating Animals is a film that takes a deeper look into this year's theme, Addressing Food Justice. The full length film can be viewed through Amazon Prime or Hulu.

    The film is based on Jonathan Safran Foer's book, Eating Animals.

    Readings

    Articles

    Infographic

    Podcasts

    Check out the 2021 list of food-related podcasts shared by FoodTank, a global community pushing for food system change.

    Books

    Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer dives deep into the theme of Addressing Food Justice.

  • Connect

    Connect with us at the Changemaker Hub

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