With youth and families in mind, many don’t choose healthier alternatives when it comes to food.  This is due to limited resources unhealthy eating habits, and lack of proper nutritional education.  Through the collaborative efforts between the Whitley County Expanded Food and Nutrition assistant, and the Comprehensive Care Youth Program Counselors, the summer youth program addressed these issues using the LEAP, Healthy Choices for Every Body, and Teen Cuisine Curriculum.  According to the US National Library of Medicine statements have been released showing a link between family meals not being as nutritious as they should be.  They have also released statements in a positive manner between family meals and healthy weight among adolescents.  After the completion of eight classes with an average of 30 youth participants and 6 adult volunteers through the months of July and August; multiple “hands-on” activities such as but not limited to, practicing food safety, learning how to read labels and recipes, along with actually preparing and sampling the end product, youth increased their knowledge of being more healthy and self-sufficient.  

The last day of their summer classes, the Expanded Food Nutrition and Education Assistant had four work stations set up for the youth to rotate to in order for them to practice some of their new skills.  Each station had an adult to assist the youth when necessary.  At each station there was a recipe, all the ingredients and utensils necessary to make and sample the recipe so each group did the activity from start to finish, rotating through their stations.  Stations one through four consisted of the following recipes, Whole Grain Strawberry Pancakes, Pablo’s Salsa,  One Pot Cheesy Spaghetti, and ending with the Smoothie made on the “Fender Blender” Bike.  

The impact of this program touched several individuals, not just the youth in various ways.  The counselor stated that the youth couldn’t wait to come back to learn more cooking skills and make new recipes.  The youth loved the fact that they were not only learning various cooking skills, but were able  to actually have their very “OWN” apron as many of the youth, from time to time stated they would be using “it” at home while cooking.  There were six youth that attended from the previous summer, and as soon as they came back to class, they asked if they would get to make the “Chicken & Cheese Enchilada’s” again, further explaining that their family had been making that particular dish, since receiving the recipe from last summer.  With that being said, not only did the youth benefit, but the program was able to take some of the “indirect” contact information and turn it in to a “direct” benefit for the entire family.