About the Plant Powered Youth Fellowship

Logo for 'Plant Powered Youth Fellowship' featuring a blue dome building, green leaves, and cutlery icons.

The Plant Powered Youth Fellowship is a program of the Plant Powered School Meals Coalition ran by Chilis on Wheels and Friends of the Earth.

Founded in 2022, the Plant Powered Youth Fellowship (formerly known as the Plant Powered Youth Steering Committee | YSC) selects 14 students from across the country each year to advocate for plant-based options in K–12 schools through movement building, policy advocacy, and leadership development.

Group of young high school and college students standing in front of the White House.
A group of high school and college students standing in front of the U.S. Capitol building with an American flag, wearing business casual clothing after a long day of lobbying for policy change.

2024 Program Video

by Morgan Greenlaw (YSC 2024)

Five high school students standing in front of the U.S. Capitol building, after lobbying and visiting their Members of Congress

2023 Program Video

by Marielle Williamson (YSC 2023)

Group of young women sitting at a wooden table inside a cafe, smiling, with food and drinks. Large windows and rainbow banners outside.
Four women standing together in front of a wall with framed photographs, smiling at the camera.

On the Blog

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Key Accomplishments

2024

  • Students organized 41 meetings in Washington, D.C. with their Members of Congress and key Congressional committees to: 

    • Support the Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act, formerly known as the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act;

    • Support the EFFECTIVE Food Procurement Act (Enabling Farmer, Food worker, Environmental, and Climate Targets through Innovative, Values-aligned, and Equitable Food Procurement Act); and  

    • Oppose the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.

  • Students met with officials from the US Department of Agriculture, White House, and Environmental Protection Agency to urge support for more plant-based meals and non-dairy milk in K-12 schools.

  • Sent a letter to USDA urging the agency to do all within its power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from school food by increasing the accessibility of plant-based foods.

  • Completed a wide range of personal projects including:

    • Local campaigns to add plant-based options to school menus.

    • Developing and disseminating educational materials about plant-based school meals.

Outline map of the United States with state borders, no labels or colors.
A close-up of a smartphone screen showing a black and white picture of a woman with long hair

2023

  • Initiated a national comment campaign to collect public comments from students, organizations, schools, caregivers, and food service workers in favor of new child nutrition meal patterns that facilitate more plant-based options and plant-forward school menus, which led to USDA adopting several recommendations. 

  • Coordinated the first-ever youth-led plant-based school food D.C. Fly-In. Students organized 34 Capitol Hill meetings with Congressional staffers where students asked their elected officials to:

    • Support the Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act, formerly known as the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act.

    • Support the EFFECTIVE Food Procurement Act (Enabling Farmer, Food worker, Environmental, and Climate Targets through Innovative, Values-aligned, and Equitable Food Procurement Act).  

    • Support the Farm Systems Reform Act.

    • Oppose the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.

    • Oppose the EATS Act (Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act).

    • Students met with federal agencies to urge support for more plant-based meals and milks in K-12 schools. Members met with Congressman Jamaal Bowman to thank him for introducing the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act. 

  • Sent a letter to USDA urging the agency to do all within their power to help school districts meet the growing demand for plant-based school foods. 

  • Completed a wide range of personal projects.
    Learn more from our blog.

Black background with a small, colorful abstract shape in the center.

2022

  • Organized a listening session with USDA officials to share their stories and make the case for including plant-based foods in schools.

  • Developed a petition to collect youth, teacher, and parent testimonies in favor of provisions they helped secure in a House child nutrition bill that would expand plant-based school meals and non-dairy milk options. 

  • Attended the White House Conference on Hunger, Health, and Nutrition and initiated a letter to the White House about the importance of centering youth voices.

  • Met with 30+ Capitol Hill offices in support of policies to expand access to plant-based school food.

  • Published blogs and op-eds about their experiences advocating for plant-based school food.

  • Campaigned for new plant-based options in their own school districts.

  • Created a Healthy Future Students and Earth Act video challenge.

Group of people in the woods with a black and white cow, some people are touching or holding the cow, surrounded by tall trees and green foliage.
Group of diverse young people standing together in an office with blue curtains, bookshelves, and framed documents on the wall.
Group of diverse young women sitting on a bus, smiling for a selfie, with city street visible through windows.
Three young men standing together outdoors in an urban park at sunset, smiling, with buildings and trees in the background.
A group of young women sitting at a table in a restaurant, smiling, with food and drinks in front of them, enjoying a meal together.
A group of nine women standing side by side, smiling, in front of a wooden wall decorated with framed photographs.
Four people wearing masks standing behind a food counter in a cafeteria, with a large colorful banner reading "Plant-Based It’s Stop" and illustrations of a heart, a bunch of greens, and a carrot.
Group of seven women standing together, smiling for a selfie in a hallway with framed pictures on the wall and a sign that says 'Welcome to USDA' in the background.
A woman crouching and smiling while petting a gate, Angus cow lying on the ground in a wooded forest.
Two men in suits standing inside a government building, with a sign that reads 'Representative Jahana Hayes Connecticut' and a plaque with the same name and the room number 2049, next to flags.
Two women taking a selfie in front of the United States Capitol building with steps and columns in the background.
A smiling woman points to a map of Georgia, with Atlanta at the center, in an office setting.
Three young women standing side by side outdoors on a balcony with a park and trees in the background. They are dressed in casual and semi-formal clothing, smiling at the camera.
Two women standing next to a framed poster that says 'We the Resilient'. The poster features an illustration of a person with their arm raised, holding a flag, with a background of a blue sky and sunset colors.
Group of five young adults standing inside the Hart Senate Office Building, smiling, with a sign above them that reads 'HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING'.
People walking towards the U.S. Capitol building on a partly cloudy day.
A group of young students seated around a large conference table in a formal meeting room with flags, framed photographs, and a chandelier.
Group of diverse young people standing in front of the U.S. Capitol building.
A young man in a blue suit with a striped tie standing beside a white marble statue of a man in a suit, inside a building with marble floors and columns.
Inside the cockpit of an airplane, a young woman and a pilot are smiling and looking at the camera. The woman is wearing glasses and a white t-shirt with a logo, and the pilot is in uniform. The cockpit is filled with various controls, instruments, a
Four people standing in front of the U.S. Capitol building, with three young men dressed in suits and a chef in a chef's coat making peace signs, under an American flag.
A woman with long brown hair wearing a black t-shirt and denim overalls holding a baby goat, both smiling outdoors on a sunny day with green fields and trees in the background.
Young woman holding a baby goat outdoors on a farm with green fields and blue sky in the background.
A young woman with shoulder-length dark hair smiling and holding a baby goat outdoors on a sunny day with a grassy field background.
Young man holding a young black and white goat in a grassy outdoor setting under a partly cloudy sky.
A group of 14 women standing in a formal room with elegant decor, chandeliers, large mirrors, and windows with drapes. The women are smiling, dressed in business casual or formal attire, and standing on a red carpet with star patterns.

Interested in applying?

Applications for the 2026 Youth Steering Committee will re-open in January 2026. All middle school, high school, and college students are invited to join the Student Wing of the Plant Powered School Meals Coalition by emailing info@ppsmc.org. 

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