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Youth at risk get a chance to Cook It Up!
Cook It Up! is the name of the project targeting at-risk youth and it's setting its sights on improving and enriching the lives of at-risk youth between the ages of 13 to 18 years of age. The LCRC, along with its community partners, launched the new, innovative pilot project, from which will be created a "how-to" manual that could be used by other communities, other organizations and other sectors of the population. In introducing the program, LCRC executive director Linda Davies, said Cook It Up! will "marry the very urban culture of our local youth to the rural experience with the goal of creating healthy eating, food preparation and food purchasing." The program is sponsored by Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc.'s (OAFE) Healthy Eating program ($49,350), as well as the MLHU ($1,000), Healthy Living Partnership Middlesex-London ($4,000), the Ontario Bean Producers Association and the Ontario Pork Producers Association ($2,000 respectively). But Davies said additional donations are welcomed. "Cook It Up! involves working with existing community partners but also reaching out to new community partners to assist in the development, implementation and evaluation of this initiative targeting at-risk youth between the age of 13 and 18," Davies said. The project, which is anticipated to run for approximately 18 months, will be youth offering food safety information, food preparation and selection skills, cooking skills and agricultural fieldtrips to a variety of local farms and farmers' markets. Youth participants will be selected through an essay writing exercise and set criteria that will evaluate both need and circumstances. "The London Community Resource Centre sees the Cook It Up! Program as a valuable tool for youth that will enrich their lives and enhance their futures," said Davies. In addition to benefiting area youth, the development of the "how-to" manual is an integral part of the overall plan. "The manual will be a template to be used by others to implement similar projects for their organizations or community. Youth participants' experiences will be documented and their input will assist to shape the program and write the manual," Davies said. Heather Thomas, Public Health Dietitian with the Middlesex-London Health Unit, said the development of the "how-to" manual will give the Cook It Up! project longevity. "I've already talked to colleagues across the province and they are all very excited about the results," she said. "We chose at-risk youth because that was a group identified in our community that needed to be addressed, but Cook It Up! could easily be adapted for single moms, single dads, older folks, people with disabilities – it could go the gamut of a variety of population groups." Thomas said the program is just what is needed in today's economy, "to give kids and their families a hand up, rather than a hand out. Not only will Cook It Up! help create a feeling of self-worth in participants, but will also help to get them the basic food selection and preparation skills needed by today's youth." From the youth perspective, London students Divine Duke (Grade 11 Thames Secondary School) and David Woitowich (Grade 9 Sir George Ross Secondary School), both see the benefit of the Cook It Up! Program. "If they are interested in cooking they should definitely take advantage of Cook It Up!," said Woitowich. He said he's been interested in cooking since he started high school "and I've been wanting to learn how to cook better," he said, adding the necessary health aspects of the food preparation process is another facet he's eager to learn more about. "I'm interested in the career of being a cook," Duke said. "I've always wanted to do that for a while now. Food, he said, is something for which he's always had a passion. "I love eating it and I love to cook it." Christopher Hood, MAP (My Action Plan to education) Program Director, The Boys' and Girls' Club of London, said the uniqueness of the Cook It Up! project is value-added for the education of youth. While the project involves a lot of community partners – business and organizations – it draws in the youth component providing them with an educational aspect they may not find in schools or in everyday society. "It provides them with self-confidence and growth. I see it as a good benefit for the youth all around," he said. To date, community partners involved in the Cook It Up! program includes: Middlesex-London Health Unit – Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Team; Research, Education, Evaluation Development Services Healthy Living Partnership Middlesex-London Brescia University College University of Western Ontario Youth Opportunities Unlimited Boys and Girls Club of London Andrew Fleet – employee (The Only Restaurant) Wade Fitzgerald – local chef (Garlics of London) Jill Wilcox – Jill's Table (local specialty food store) O'Shea Farms Ontario Pork Association Ontario White Bean Producers Marketing Board For more information on the Cook It Up! Program visit online (see link). WEB: London Community Resource Centre -- Cook It Up! |
| What a wonderful idea. The London Community Resource Centre never fails to amaze me in coming up with innovative programs to address food issues in London. Well done to the organization and all their community partners in coming up with this innovative and much needed project. |
| By: Torrence on 05/05/2009 |
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