The Associated Students of Colorado State University hosted the annual Colorado Basic Needs Summit at CSU Spur in Denver April 20, bringing together students and campus leaders from nine colleges across Colorado for a day of conversation and collaboration surrounding basic needs access.
The summit was initiated last year by Jorja Whyte, the previous ASCSU director of basic needs, with the hope that the event would grow into an annual opportunity for collaborative community outreach.
Whyte, who has since graduated, said the summit serves as an opportunity to unite student leaders across Colorado over their shared passions for basic needs access and student advocacy.
“Our original vision for the summit was to create a gathering space across the state of Colorado because we knew that so many institutions were doing amazing work in their little pockets,” Whyte said. “It’s nice to be able to know that there’s other folks across the state in the same roles, (and) there are students that want to do this amazing work.”
Lauren Davis, the current ASCSU director of basic needs, echoed Whyte’s sentiment and said she hoped attendees would leave with new knowledge and connections to create tangible change in Colorado.
“I want them to do something new,” Davis said. “I want them to be able to fill in the gaps because they were able to talk to someone else. Every school has its own unique identities and its own unique experiences, but ultimately, basic needs are just that: basic. Everyone needs it, and so I want to make sure that people are able to take away the things that they have noticed are missing and implement them in an actionable way.
The event kicked off with opening remarks from Davis, who highlighted the opportunities attendees would have throughout the day to engage in constructive dialogue surrounding basic needs insecurity and community action initiatives.
The event was a collaborative effort by nine colleges across Colorado, including CSU, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Northern Colorado, University of Denver and more. Additionally, students were also able to interact with a number of organizations across Colorado that support student wellbeing, including the Food Bank for Larimer County, Hunger Free Colorado, CSU Off-Campus Life, New Era Colorado, CSU Student Case Management, CU Boulder’s Basic Needs Center and the CU Buff Pantry.
Adelaide Kick, a CU Boulder student from the CU Basic Needs Center, highlighted the opportunity students had to learn about what resources are available across the state for those who may be struggling to access basic needs.
“If we work together and share the knowledge we have around these services and these supports for students, we have potential to make these services so much more effective and to reach so many more students with our support,” Kick said. “It’s a very hard field to be a part of, especially as a student, as you’re suddenly working with other students who are going through the hardest times they might ever experience.”
Attendees later broke off into individual breakout sessions that focused on different areas of basic needs, giving attendees an opportunity to hear about successful basic needs initiatives and view presentations on trends throughout Colorado.
One breakout session featured the CSU Community Garden Club, a student-led organization designed to provide a space for students to develop horticulture skills such as planting, plant health care and seed preservation. The club also donates their extra yields to the Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry and other local food banks, contributing nutritious produce to the larger Fort Collins community.
“We all know right now that groceries and food may be a little expensive for an average person that, especially as a student, might not have as much time to work (and) might not have so much time to get those fresh, nutritious foods,” said Bradyn Fajado, co-president of the Community Garden Club.
Another session featured Kick and Isabella Neitzel from the CU Boulder Basic Needs Center, who spoke about how identity and location can shape access to basic needs. Neitzel addressed how to avoid pitfalls as a change agent in social systems, emphasizing that being a leader requires effectively engaging with your communities and other local leaders.
“When we’re approaching leadership, it’s important to recognize the varying perspectives that other leaders bring to these conversations,” Neitzel said. “So within food justice, this means being continually engaged (and) continuing to show up for your community, even just on a small, local scale. The best place to avoid these pitfalls is to work with others and understand the value of their perspectives and bringing in these different conversations into the wider conversation.”
Other sessions brought local leaders to deliver presentations on food insecurity, fostering campus communities, creating care packages, systemic barriers to resource access and more.
Amber Obermaier, a graduate student at CSU who was also in attendance last year, said the event allowed every attendee to engage with an area of basic needs that they are individually passionate about.
“This year, one addition is looking at basic needs from all angles and splitting up what folks are most passionate about,” Obermaier said. “I think that’s a great way to look at basic needs but also see what sets each individual’s heart on fire.”
The event closed with a presentation by Wendy Moschetti from Nourish Colorado about her experience working within food systems to further access to nutritious food. Afterward, attendees engaged in their last large group discussion to discuss key takeaways and reflect on the day.
Davis further encouraged attendees, along with those who weren’t able to attend, to get involved in their local communities and help promote access to basic needs.
“I want to talk to everyone, especially the people who couldn’t come,” Davis said. “Action requires a community. It requires so many different people, even the ones who weren’t here today, who have different ideas and experiences and ways of implementing (those ideas).”
Reach Claire VanDeventer at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
