Every so often, something so simple, smart, and important rolls into the UD inbox that it nudges the world into making sense again. Barb Finley’s Project CHEF (Cook Healthy Edible Food), an expanding experiential curriculum-based Vancouver school program aimed at children in grades four and five, is a perfect example of this.
From the press release:
“…The program has been developed to educate children about healthy eating by exposing them to wholesome foods at an early age and teaching them the skills to prepare these foods for themselves.”
Why this is just a roving one-week “project” and not an integral part of the everyday school curriculum across the entire country is a bit of a sad mystery. Teaching kids about food is so basic and intrinsic to our health as a society that it seems ridiculous that it has to be presented as a specialized project and funded by outside sources (TELUS Vancouver Community Board, Face the World Foundation, Rix Foundation, Keg Spirit Foundation, Les Dames d’Escoffier and Chefs’ Table Society of BC, Sunrise Soya Foods). Nonetheless, it deserves our awareness and support.
“Changing children’s food choices and diets needs to be a shared responsibility involving the students, the school, the family and the community,” says Finley.”
We could not agree more.
Read Tara Lee’s article in the Georgia Straight about the November 2007 launch of the pilot project.
Another excellent community based urban agriculture program directed at youth is the Terranova Schoolyard Project in Richmond, which involves students in hands-on activities to take them on a complete food-cycle journey, from seed to table and from table back to the soil as compost.
For more information about Project CHEF, please contact:
Patsy Worrall
QUAY Strategies Inc.
Tel: 604 687-2824
patsyw@quaystrat.com
Visit the Terranova Schoolyard Project at: www.myterranova.ca
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I dropped in on Chef Barb’s class last week. My son was taking it ( I did a little arm twisting to get him in there as I was the one who brought this project to his school’s attention ).
I was so impressed with the couse and the response.
Not only was it getting my child to eat things he had never eaten before, but he was talking abot making sure all of his meals were balanced etc.
From what I saw, all of the children were having a good time, learning about food and learning about teamwork and good eating habits. I am finding it hard to put into words how impressed I was with this course but in a day when I find ( in my opinion ) that so many things are being left out of a well rounded education, this is one thing that has found it’s way back in.
Good on Chef Barb for having the passion for seeing this project through.
I am proud to say that the Chef’s Table Society was one of the first groups ( if not the very first ) to put up some funds to get this fantastic project off of the ground.
P.S. Chef Barb teaches courses over the Xmas break at NW Culinary.
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