International Round Table «Children of the World for Healthy Food» will Be Held in Moscow

In spring of 2013 Russian pupils participated in the competition for the best letter written to Birke Baehr, American school student and famous advocate of an organic food, within the “Journey to Health” project of Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute. Most of the children expressed their concern with the habits of their friends and the quality of food sold in the markets, shops and on their tables.

“We can say that in the week half of the class spends 210 roubles to buy candies and spoil their health. I cannot understand my friends” — says Vova Ott, student from Omsk School #32.

This fall, the most active participants of the competition will have an opportunity not only to discuss healthy food and organic farming with Birke and Russian farmers, but also to develop a specific action plan and a list of projects, which implementation will be supported by external experts and organizations.

The round-table discussion with Birke will be attended by school students from Serbia, Omsk, Moscow, Mordovia, Russian farmers, representatives of the scientific, educational and community organizations also. The first part of the round table will be held in Mordovia (October 7), the main second part — in Moscow (October 8). On the results of the round table Birke Baehr and his new friends will take part in the International conference “Social Innovations” (October 9), and will make a speech on the issues of organic farming and health at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation (October 10) and at the largest Russian agricultural exhibition “Golden Autumn” (October 11).

The choice of School #1959 for the event was not random. It's students not only took an active part in the competition, but also are the members of the organization “Kind Children of the World”, which numbers more than 100,000 children from 889 schools in Russia, Latvia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The participants of the round table will have the opportunity to visit the school’s unique “Museum of Patronage”.

Contacts: +7 (495) 989-58-47

The event will take place on October 8th, on Tuesday, from 11:30 to 15:00 at the School #1959 Children of the World at Moscow, Perervinsky Boulevard, 20, building 2.

Event organizers

• Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute Non-profit Non-governmental organization, www.orgpit.ru
• “Journey to the Health” project and School Food Forum, www.schoolfoodforum.ru
• School #1959 Children of the World, http://1959.shkola.hc.ru

With the support of

• Department of Education of Moscow, www.educom.ru
• Ministry of Agriculture of Russian Federation, www.mcx.ru
• Agroindustrial Processing production company, www.agropererabotka.ru
• Vneshniy resurs LLC, www.vnres.ru
• International conference “Social Innovations”, www.sir-conference.ru
• The Organic Farming Union, www.sozrf.ru
• LavkaLavka Farmer cooperative, www.lavkalavka.com
• Alexander Pocheptzov, farmer, www.lavkalavka.com/fermer/aleksandr-pochepcov

With the participation of

• All-Russian Pedagogical Assembly, www.pedagogsobr.ru
• K.G. Razumovskiy Moscow State University of Technologies and Management, www.mgutm.ru
• Center of Resources Saving, www.centrecon.ru
• Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents of National Centre of Children's Health Protection of RAMS, www.niigd.ru
• Valjevo Agricultural School, Serbia, www.poljoprivrednaskola.edu.rs

About

Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute is engaged in the development and modernization of the systems of social and corporate feeding in Russia and abroad. It collaborates with the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) in 6 countries on the development programs of school meals. Among the priorities of the Institute — teaching children the basics of healthy eating. www.orgpit.ru

“Journey to the Health” project was developed by Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents of National Centre of Children's Health Protection of RAMS. The aim of the project is to teach children the principles of healthy eating and lifestyle, as well as to develop their critical and creative thinking and motivation to take care of their own health and the environment. The project includes the issue of the Bulletin of school meals, playing active games with the kids, contests and special events. www.schoolfoodforum.ru

Birke Baehr is the famous American school student and supporter of organic farming, the speaker at the TED conference with the report on “What's wrong with our food system”, the author of children's book “Birke on the farm”, one of the ten young environmentalists who changed the world (Treehugger.com), he regularly participates in educational and outreach activities in schools and universities of USA. Video of his TED speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JGVR-Glpks