Project Description and Statement of Need

Need of the community- Staying in the loop around health and nutrition is difficult as it attracts more and more national attention. Programs rise and fall. Money appears and disappears. All the while the community suffers from misinformation and disengagement. The silence stops here. Families need to get engaged in pushing the community to it's feet. It begins with the children as their energy and desire for change is met in the kitchen with nutritious foods and hands-on learning. It ends with the parents as they scaffold their child's development as a chef-in-the-making and a leader in the neighborhood. Access will be given to reliable health-promoting resources, and time will be made for analysis of socio-cultural influences on family and community health practices.

Convening youth and parents and giving voice to their plans to perform health-enhancing practices is the best strategy at achieving lasting change on the ground in these communities.

Objectives:
A. youth will be able to develop wellness (nutrition & physical activity) goals to adopt, maintain, or improve their personal health practices.
B. Implement strategies to overcome barriers to action.

Goals:
1. Convene youth weekly for cooking class.
2. Provide reliable nutrition, food safety, and cooking information.
3. Conduct appropriate cooking lesson.
4. Convene parents and youth for discussion on community needs and resources.
5. Stage one community event designed to mobilize support in the community.

Methods:
In order to achieve objectives:
I. Youth will select foods for healthful eating as they choose dishes to be prepared the following week from health-oriented cook books .
II. Youth will prepare foods in healthful ways every cooking club session.
III. Families will enjoy foods prepared.
IV. Discussions will be facilitated in order to arrive at consensus on strategies to overcome barriers to action within the community. By determining the needs and resources of the community, the design of the community health event, intending to educate and empower, will be made more effective.
V. Youth will design community health action plans and implement with the help of parents and coordinator.