RAID x PSFN Talanoa networking bingo

August 4, 2026

The RAID Network recently partnered with @The Pacific School Foods Network (PSFN) to run a networking event alongside the Pacific School Food Talanoa.

The Pacific School Food Talanoa was held in Nadi, Fiji, from 2–4 June 2026, bringing together more than 100 participants from 16 countries to strengthen partnerships and identify practical pathways to improve school food environments across the Pacific.

The RAID Network sent four representatives to the event: Bridget Mullany, Clara Obregon, Chelcia Gomese and Bhawana Bhattarai. Hoping to shake things up, the team ran a Networking Bingo night. Each participant received a bingo card, but not just any bingo card. As the image above shows, each box represented a conversation participants had to have, and every box had to be completed with a different person – no double-ups! First to tick off every box won. There were six of the much-coveted RAID cooler bags up for grabs.

The atmosphere was great – fuelled by a custom playlist put together by the group. You can listen via the QR code!

“The night was all about breaking down formalities, getting everyone talking about real collaboration issues, and, most importantly, building relationships and friendships,” said Bridget Mullany, Vice President, RAID Network.

“There was a great turnout, with over 100 registrations, and it was fantastic to see the group talking, laughing, exchanging ideas and contact details,” she said.

“Across the Talanoa, the group heard about the many food and nutrition security challenges facing our Pacific family. Four themes stood out: building stronger soils, strengthening collaborations, returning to traditional practices, and turning to aquatic foods,” said Bridget.

“Building strong collaborations is a key goal of the RAID Network, and we were very honoured to pursue this aim through the Pacific School Food Talanoa. As early-career researchers and practitioners, the team was grateful to be part of the event, to learn, to listen, and to ‘muck in’ when needed,” she said.

Throughout the Talanoa, RAID representatives also facilitated workshops and group discussions, helping refine key takeaways that fed directly into the Pacific School Food Declaration. The declaration has now been published here.  

“RAID aims to create a well-connected, curious, and empathetic next generation to tackle future food and nutrition security challenges in our schools and communities – and to do so with friendship and respect at the core. We were very honoured to have pursued this aim through the Pacific School Food Networks. As always, we thank @The Crawford Fund & @ACIAR for their continued support and investment in early career researchers,” she concluded.