During the seed and start-up phases, a small group of people create the conditions for a food council to come into being. This takes approximately 12-18 months.
At the end of the start-up phase, the organizing group transitions their work to the first council. The council builds upon and refines the work already done by the organizing group.
When the organizing group first comes together, there can be confusion between their role and the role of the eventual council. Some of the members of the organizing group will likely end up on the council, which creates further confusion.
| Organizing Group | Food Council |
|---|---|
| Temporary, ad hoc groupCreated at beginning of seed phase with 2-5 members Expanded at end of seed phase to 5-15 members Disbands at end of start-up phase Gets educated on food councils Develops rough description of council purpose Lays groundwork for local government involvement Identifies likely resource needs for council Designs rough scaffolding for council structure Drafts charter and incorporates community feedback Develops temporary selection process; Shares what it has learned with new council
|
Permanent, standingCreated at end of start-up phase Expanded during expansion phase Does not disband First learns from organizing group, then educates its members over time Refines purpose into vision, mission, values, name Develops working agreements based on local government’s role Creates support systems to meet resource needs Refines council structure based on charter Formally updates local government on state of food system Develops membership selection process; Picks up where organizing group left off
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