As in-person programs have disappeared with the current COVID-19 crisis, many of our projects have had to adapt to virtual programming.
In response to this, our team at London Health Sciences has worked hard to adapt our Teen2Chef program to be run virtually in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of London.
They have already run two groups through the program, and are planning even more with positive responses from participants. Learn more below!
The team at London Health Sciences participated in the original pilot of the program, using the Girls and Boys club in London as their facility. With the switch to virtual, they were still able to continue using the Girls and Boys club to broadcast their program through Zoom to participants.
Food boxes containing dried ingredients are put together by a Registered Dietitian along with a Dietetic student/volunteer. The non-perishable food boxes are picked up by the participants at the local Girls and Boys club.
Participants are also provided a grocery store gift card to purchase fresh produce and perishable ingredients needed for the recipes.
Each class is 1 hour long, with an optional 30 minute break-out at the end where participants can eat together, discuss the recipes.
Participants cook in real-time following along with the facilitator who demonstrates and creates the recipe for the week. The participants are able to ask questions, show off their creations, and have fun in a supportive group environment all while cooking up delicious meals!
While the original Teen2Chef program has an abundance of nutrition education during each class, the Kitchen Takeover virtual program has a stronger focus on food skills, with some nutrition education peppered through each week to ensure that the class stays focused and engaged with the content. Each class serves up short “Nutrition Moments” where the participants discusses nutrition topics, while their food is cooking.
Topics include macronutrients, fibre, hydration, salt, and sugar.
Learnings from the sessions can be seen in the infographic to the right.
“It was so rewarding watching the teens gain confidence every week. The small class sizes helped to make the class a comfortable learning environment where participants felt they could ask questions and have fun together in the kitchen creating delicious healthy recipes!”
-Facilitator
Participants commented they liked “cooking together” and “the recipes”
The participants found the nutrition moments “helpful” or “very helpful”
