What happens when students are given the tools and opportunity to shape the school food systems that serve them? In New York City, student advocates are helping transform school meals, cafeteria spaces, and school food policy.
This Reasons to be Cheerful story follows the work of Youth Food Advocates (YFA), an initiative of Community Food Advocates that trains NYC students to research school food issues and advocate for change. The story highlights Leslie Gomez Rivera, who surveyed her peers at Midwood High School to better understand why students were avoiding the cafeteria. Rather than simply concluding that students did not like school lunch, Rivera and her peers gathered specific feedback about food quality, menu choices, cultural preferences, and the cafeteria environment.
That student-generated information became a starting point for action. Rivera shared the findings with school leaders, helping inform efforts to bring students back into the cafeteria and promote the redesigned space. The approach has since informed broader efforts across New York City, where new menu items undergo student taste testing and must receive at least 70% student approval before being considered for the citywide menu. YFA students have also helped develop recommendations for redesigned cafeterias, including more food choices, shorter lines, and more welcoming spaces. According to Community Food Advocates, lunch participation has increased by 35% at redesigned high schools.