This is the first year the Challenge has moved to a paid model. This work has historically been supported by philanthropic funding, and now that this funding is no longer available, a registration fee is how we ensure the Challenge can continue and grow. The $21 fee reflects our commitment to sustaining and strengthening this work for the long term, and to continuing to offer it as a high-quality, curated experience. We’ve kept the price accessible intentionally.

Your registration helps sustain the full Challenge experience, including Challenge Fridays, four live virtual gatherings on April 17, April 24, May 1, and May 8, from 12-1 p.m. ET, facilitated by Challenge co-creators and curators Curtis Ogden and Karen Spiller.

We’re also offering a free Orientation Session on April 2, 1-4 p.m. ET for all registered participants. The first hour is an orientation to the Challenge itself. The final two hours are dedicated to facilitator tips and tricks for anyone who wants to bring the Challenge to their group, team, or organization – a great resource if you’re participating alongside colleagues or community members.

Yes. The Pay It Forward option is $42 and adds a contribution that helps extend the Challenge’s reach. Alternatively, you can also donate during checkout.

Initially, the Challenge was designed for food system organizations in the six New England states. It rapidly expanded from there. Today, anyone is invited to participate from anywhere. The Challenge material, much of which is universally useful in understanding race and equity issues, is somewhat focused on the North American context. Approximately 40% of participants are not directly involved in food system work directly, but report significant benefits from doing the Challenge nonetheless, as issues of land access, food, health, hunger, etc., are of universal applicability. And we all eat! We now have many participants from outside the US. About 80% of Challenge participants identify as white or of European ancestry primarily. About 20% of Challenge participants are not new to racial equity and justice work, yet they find new and useful resources in this program to complement their existing knowledge and skills. Currently, the Challenge materials are delivered in English, but we hope to provide additional languages in future years.

Every morning of the Challenge, you’ll receive an email “prompt” with a short reading, video, or audio file. You are encouraged to take about 10-15 minutes each day with the material in the prompt, though we will provide extra resources if you want to dig further into the day’s topic. You have the option to join our Challenge Fridays if you’d like to discuss the prompts in a supported and moderated environment. We also encourage you to share your experience on social media using the hashtag #FSNEEquityChallenge, or to have conversations with friends, co-workers, or other community members who may also be doing the Challenge.

It’s ideal if you can do a little bit with the daily prompts Monday through Friday, perhaps saving the “going deeper” extra material for another time. However, we realize sometimes it’s hard to keep it going for the full twenty-one days! The links you will receive will stay live so that you can come back later in the year. Also, don’t forget that you’ll have the weekends to get caught up!

Good news! It’s a time to get caught up and reflect. We will send weekend prompts on Saturdays and Sundays to help you think about the five days of weekday prompts. The weekends are a great time to get caught up on anything you missed during the week or check out some of the extra resources on topics of interest. Some participants use the weekend to write in their journals or connect with friends and family about something they learned during the week’s Challenge activities.

Both. And it’s your choice. You can certainly do the Challenge on your own using the email prompts you receive every morning during the Challenge. But we are learning that the work of making our region – and our food system – more just and equitable requires a team effort! This year, we are expanding our menu of resources and tools to support your group at school, work, church, or any other entity to take on the Challenge together!

Yes, and that’s intentional. Each participant registers individually, so they receive the daily emails directly. This ensures everyone gets the full Challenge experience, nothing gets lost in forwarding, and each person’s engagement is their own.

For organizations, the Institutional Partnership model makes this easy – your institution pays a single fee and receives a custom registration code that each participant uses when they register themselves.

Yes. IISC now offers an Institutional Partnership option. With a single institutional fee, your organization receives a custom registration code, each participant registers individually to receive daily emails directly, and your institution receives aggregate engagement reporting to track community impact.
What does institutional participation cost?

$300 — up to 25 participants
$500 — up to 50 participants
$750 — up to 100 participants

For groups larger than 100, email Sandra Herrera, IISC Communications and Marketing Manager, at sherrera@interactioninstitute.org to discuss a custom arrangement.

There is no magic formula to change behavior, but committing to three weeks of consistently exploring the impact of race in the food system provides an intentional way to uncover racial inequities and injustices, as well as to discover the many ways we can individually and collectively promote a more just and equitable food system for all.

When FSNE first developed this customized version of the Challenge, inspired by the work of Debby Irving and Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., they intended it to have a food system focus. While many other organizations have been inspired by FSNE’s interactive and customized version, this is the one that focuses most deeply on food, food systems, agriculture, land access, and topics near and dear to our Vision and Values.

This challenge is just one part of IISC’s commitment to make racial equity and justice non-negotiable parts of the food system we are creating together. The 21-Day format, inspired by colleagues who have been doing equity and justice work for decades, creates a pulse of focused energy and learning materials that can be used during the Challenge as well as throughout the year. The 21-Day Challenge is not meant to be a quick fix or performative exercise. IISC and the broader FSNE network are on their own continuing journeys to understand and dismantle white supremacy culture in their own work and support one another in the process. We seek to become actively anti-racist and build a network and food system that embodies justice and liberation.