In 2021, at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic, we launched Operation: Growing Beyond the Recipe (GBTR). Five Lead Ravens teamed up to create a podcast and YouTube content around the theme “Food as Resistance”. It was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done at The Corps.
About GBTR
In order to build a better world, we have to start practicing the future. And in the future, factory farming’s history. Fresh, nutritious food is accessible. Sustainability IS the ingredient. And a love for food, community, and culture brings us all to the table. By growing beyond the recipe, we can start living the future NOW.
Growing Beyond the Recipe was all about exploring food as a complicated but effective and meaningful vehicle for real change. Through thoughtful, fun, and inviting podcast episodes and YouTube videos, the 2021 GBTR Ravens took a deep, courageous dive into the wide world of food and what it really means to be Vegan.
Highlights
IN 2021, GBTR LEAD RAVENS…
- Came together to create five ground-breaking advocacy Operations using “Food as Resistance” as their guidepost
- Launched a podcast and a YouTube channel, dropping Ops like “Food and Feminism” and “Attacking Animal Agriculture”.
- Organized and collaborated with Z2B Lead Ravens, bringing people of all ages and walks of life to the (round)table to discuss topics like “The Evolution of US Food Culture” and “Effective Vegan Activism”.
- Hosted a wide variety of guest speakers including Vegan chefs, food activists, and community organizers in our virtual youth activist community center.
- Organized and hosted monthly “Raven’s Kitchen” meetups where Ravens cooked and baked together (and it actually felt like we were all hanging out in the kitchen together, even during a pandemic.)
- Helped produce an anti-oppression cookbook “The Feed: Food as Resistance”
“GBTR changed everything in my life for the better. The people in this program introduced new perspectives to me, showing me how versatile and impactful food is, as well as how it can be used as a tool to bring everyone together. I was also really challenged by this program; it forced me to examine the ways that I unknowingly participate in systems of oppression in food and lifestyle communities. As an activist, we should always strive to do better, and there is nothing more important than being in a community of people who will hold you accountable. I hope GBTR helps people understand that healing begins with the stomach and the heart!”
— Anata Tran, 2021 GBTR Lead Raven
