Dear Australia’s Right to Food Coalition (the RTF Coalition) supporters, today we have an exciting announcement: The RTF Coalition has a new communications team! We’ve dedicated this quick blog post to learning a little more about them, their experience and what makes them tick. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, the team’s relevant social media handles are included where possible. To reach the RTF Coalition directly, please use our contact page.
Camille Freeman
Hi, I’m Camille, and I am originally from Southern California. I have lived and worked in different parts of the United States, Canada, and France, but now find myself exploring Australia. I came to Australia to pursue my Master’s in Development Studies, with a focus on local and sustainable food systems. Since being here, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to engage with Australia’s growing food movement, which aims to envision a future that supports a fair and just food system for all. I am thrilled to be working alongside a dedicated and passionate team at the RTF Coalition.
My journey with food began in the kitchen, cooking alongside my mother, smelling and tasting, visiting open farmers markets, and learning that food was more than a tactical experience. It is embedded in stories, practices, places, and the land. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of regenerative and organic farms, which helped me to develop a stronger relationship with where my food comes from. I even trained to become a cheesemaker at one point in my life. However, I constantly found myself reading about the inequities and injustice around our food systems. The more I read, the more I found myself asking questions. Naturally, I found myself returning to university to uncover some answers.
My research area seeks to understand the processes that underpin the transformation of local and global food systems, and the role that social and political networks play in activating food system change. When I’m not reading however, you will find me in the kitchen most days whipping up a new dish I have yet to try!!
Camille isn’t on social media but her writing will be found throughout RTF Coalition’s channels
Lauren Resnik
Hi, I am Lauren, and I am delighted to join the RTF Coalition as a communication assistant.
I am a medical doctor, have worked in hospitals in South Africa, England, and Australia, and have a Master of Science in Public Health Nutrition. I am passionate about health, nutrition, communication and helping people live healthier lives.
Working as a medical student in South Africa, I was immediately struck by the effect nutrition had on health: babies failing to thrive because their parents fed them with watered-down formula in the hope that it would last longer; children malnourished because their parents couldn’t afford nutritious foods.
How quickly I learnt that health could not be adequately addressed without focusing on the wider socioeconomic determinants; how external factors beyond people’s direct control influence every action they take. How advising someone to “eat more fruits and vegetables” belies the complexity of every bite we take. Do they have access to shops that sell fresh produce? Do they have the money to buy the food? Are they able to get to the shops? Do they know how to cook? Do they have facilities for cooking or storing foods safely? How many other people in their house need feeding? I firmly believe that systems need to be in place to help support people in living healthy lives.
In my role as a communication assistant, I hope to contribute to the essential work that the RTF Coalition aims to achieve. To help ensure the basic fundamental right of every human – the right to food.
Find Lauren on LinkedIn
Camilo Cayazaya
Hi, I’m Camilo (I know, similar names can make this confusing) and I’m an Indigenous American refugee from Chile. I work as a dietitian, an educator and writer with a love of public health, food sovereignty and social equity. I pride myself on using high-quality evidence to educate others while doing my best to remain easy to understand, engaging and entertaining.
I grew up in varying levels of socio-economic security where I witnessed the effects that reduced resources had on health outcomes within the migrant circles of my youth. I’ve since used my passion for food and communication to guide me in choosing a career that supports better health for as many people as I can reach.
Throughout my time in healthcare, I’ve worked in Fiji, the Northern Territory, with Victorian youth and in various Victorian hospitals to affect the lives of thousands of people through better nutrition. My work has helped tackle issues like diabetes, heart disease and malnutrition prior to, and during, the COVID pandemic. During this time, I’ve been witness to many of the challenges that lack of supply, access, infrastructure and knowledge create for people. I have to wonder: if one of the wealthiest nations in the world is struggling to achieve food security, how could other less-advantaged nations hope to reach that goal? We have our work cut out for us.
My thesis is that sharing knowledge, improving understanding by translating information, and connecting the dots on multifaceted issues can all work more efficiently and effectively to achieve the unified goal of better health through food security. I’m excited to learn from the RTF Coalition team and share what we find with the bright minds fighting for food justice.
Find Camilo on CCMNutrition.com and Instagram
