Global Food Institute Student Engagement
GFI provides GW students with opportunities to engage in various community-building, educational, and engaging activities throughout the semester. Surround yourself with peers who share their passion for food-related issues through opportunities offered at GW, in the Washington, D.C. community, and beyond.
Learn about our student engagement opportunities, join community outreach events and learning opportunities at GW and in the community, including cooking demonstrations at Mount Vernon's Campus, hosting farmers markets, maintaining a community garden, and volunteering with local food-focused organizations.
Pillars
Community
Through community-centered learning and activities, students will build a deep sense of belonging, foster inclusivity through inviting new perspectives, and encourage mutual support among students, faculty, and campus partners.
Collaboration
Students will develop innovative, interdisciplinary partnerships across diverse fields of study to address complex food-related issues and bring light to the role of food in many facets of our society.
Culture
Food is not just sustenance – it’s how students express their identity, serving as means to explore history, art and the human experience.
Sustainability
Students will learn and promote practices that ensure the long-term health and well-being of people and the planet such as regenerative agriculture, culture and humanity, and food waste mitigation.
Engagement
Students will be active members of the Washington, DC community, with opportunities ranging from community outreach events and learning opportunities like cooking demonstrations, hosting farmers markets, maintaining a community garden, and volunteering with local food-focused organizations. Surrounded by peers who share their passion for food-related issues, students will gain a true sense of belonging at GW.
GFI will actively seek partnerships with organizations and individuals who bring new and diverse perspectives to the table. By amplifying overlooked voices and inviting new participants into critical conversations, these GFI student engagement activities ensures a rich and inclusive dialogue.
Action
GFI will provide students with opportunities to participate in cooking and gardening workshops, regularly scheduled discussions and seminars, and more. Students and faculty from diverse fields will come together to conduct interdisciplinary research to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
While joining GFI student engagement activities doesn't require you to pursue the Food Leadership minor, the program does give a headstart for those interested in doing so. As a participant, you'll build meaningful connections with faculty from the Global Food Institute and Alliance for Sustainable Future, collaborate with GW Dining, and engage with food professionals across the DMV!
Education
With Food Leadership courses, your journey begins with a first-semester University Writing course (UW 1020 level) or a Research seminar focused on themes like food, agriculture, and sustainability. In your second semester, you'll take Introduction to Food Studies, the foundational course for the Food Leadership Minor.
No matter where your passions lie whether it is policy, sustainability, global cultures, public health, hands‑on learning, or the science of what we eat, our interdisciplinary courses invite you to explore the food system from every angle. Dive into the systems, laws, and decisions that influence what ends up on our plates. These courses connect cuisine to policy, identity to systems change, equity to inherent systematic challenges, and community to power. Meet the incredible practitioners and researchers who are doing the work to inform what a new system of food can and should look like for our country and the world.
