Voices for Change

In the past five years, the impacts of climate change, conflict, and COVID-19 have pushed global hunger to an alarming level. As a founding member of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, World Renew works to end world hunger and sees how the voices of young people are more crucial than ever to raising awareness about the world hunger crisis. The Foodgrains Bank’s “Hunger on the Hill – Young Voices” event in Ottawa, Ont., is dedicated to amplifying these voices and inspiring the next generation to make a difference.

Allison Hessels, a policy advisor for Grain Farmers Ontario and a descendant of farmers, participated in the April 2024 event to advocate for global neighbors struggling with hunger.

Hessels’s journey to advocacy began at Drayton (Ont.) Christian Reformed Church, where she first learned about Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Her participation in a World Renew learning tour to Nicaragua further influenced her passion for international development and sparked her interest in advocating for a world without hunger, she said. During that tour she met a World Renew staff member who later encouraged her to apply for Hunger on the Hill. 

Reflecting on her time at Young Voices, Hessels said, “For me, Hunger on the Hill is bringing the voice of everyday Canadians to Parliament to say, ‘This issue is really important to us,’ even if it’s not making news headlines.”

Hunger on the Hill “really showed me the power of using your voice as a voter, as a Canadian, as a local constituent. Your MP will listen,” she added. Her words highlight the importance of individuals’ using advocacy to draw attention to critical issues like hunger, and how advocacy can influence political decisions.

Would she recommend this training and advocacy event to others? To this question Hessels responded enthusiastically: “I would say, ‘Do it for sure.’ It was an empowering experience. If you feel really strongly that you want to do something for world hunger and you don’t know where to start, this is a great place. Using your voice is, I think, the most important thing that we can do.”

The opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals was also valuable, said Hessels. “You also meet a really cool network of people who are all really fascinated by [the same issue].”

Hunger on the Hill – Young Voices provides a platform for young people to speak up, and it creates a community where anyone, regardless of their experience level, can join in the fight against global hunger. 

To find out more about opportunities to volunteer with World Renew, visit worldrenew.ca/volunteer or worldrenew.net/volunteer. 

If you are a Canadian citizen interested in growing in advocacy, join Canadian Foodgrains Bank at the Hunger on the Hill training and advocacy event for adults of all ages Oct. 19-23. Apply here before Aug. 31, 2024.