Action for Children work with HIC to upskill in cooking and nutrition
Action for Children’s Guernsey Youth & Housing project have been working with the Eat Well team at the Health Improvement Commission to upskill in areas of nutrition knowledge and cooking skills, which they can now use to support young people accessing the service to develop their life skills.
Through an interactive workshop, staff learned about the different food groups, their importance for health, and how much of each comprises a portion. This was then followed on with a discussion on the language we use for conversations about food.
For example, how to avoid stigmatising language and how much influence our words have on a young person’s own relationship for food. After the workshop, staff learned how to make a healthy meal with chef James Ferguson which they can later teach the young people in their training flats.
We’re really pleased Action for Children reached out to us for this training, as people who work with children and young people are perfectly placed to be good role models for food and health. They also have a strong influence either through the food they provide or through shaping a young person’s relationship with food.
A key part of growing into independence is learning how to cook, feel confident in a kitchen and understand the real impact that nutritious food can have on physical health and emotional wellbeing.
We have been working with the Eat Well team and Cooked by James Ferguson to design four meals that young people can learn to make with us. Each one teaches essential kitchen skills and gives our team the space to share clear, honest information about healthy eating and why it matters. We are excited to take this into our sessions and get cooking with young people.
Youth settings who also feel they could benefit from similar training are encouraged to contact cat.tyrrell@healthimprovement.gg