Using Food As A Vehicle For Youth Social Action
Introduction
School holidays can be a challenging time for some families due to the pressure of increased childcare needs and the associated reduced income.
In 2021 the Department for Education (DfE) provided local authorities and partner organisations with Holiday Activity Funding (HAF) to develop holiday activity clubs which also included healthy and nutritious meals.
Working in partnership with Manchester City Council, Groundwork Greater Manchester were able to deliver three Holiday Activity Fund programmes to children and young people who were eligible for free school meals.
As well as providing healthy and nutritious food and a selection of typical holiday club activities, Groundwork integrated several social action activities into their delivery.
Action
During the summer holidays, qualified youth workers from Groundwork ran a 4-week programme in Crumpsall Park and a two-week programme at the Barlow Moor Community Association in Chorlton Park, for 7-18 years olds as part of the Holiday Activity Fund programme. Over the winter break, Groundwork delivered a one-week programme in Crumpsall Park.
Both areas face multiple social challenges; placing high on the indices of deprivation for health and wellbeing, education and employment, and access to services.
This often leads to children and young people feeling isolated and lonely in their community; forced to travel elsewhere for positive activities. Young people in these areas are more vulnerable to negative external influences, with gang and criminal coercion major issues for them.
That’s why it was so important to provide fun and enriching activities as part of the summer programme, providing the children and young people with opportunities to develop new skills and try out new experiences in their community.
Summer activities included:
- Cooking
- Gardening
- Crafts
- Science experiments
- Drama
- Games
- Sports
All the above activities integrated the 5 skills for life; teamwork, communication, problem solving, self-management and self-belief.
Youth workers also encouraged the children and young people to develop and lead their own activities. Some of the outcomes included:
- Creating perfume out of lavender found in the garden.
- Planning and budgeting a trip to Flip Out trampoline park.
- A fashion show with clothes made out of recycled materials.
Groundwork Greater Manchester aspires for young people to feel actively involved in their communities, which is why Social Action projects were also included as part of the holiday activity clubs.
Following a range of engagement activities around climate change and the environment delivered by Groundwork’s youth workers, young people opted to undertake littering picking in their local park to improve the overall appearance, clear paths to improve access and construct vertical gardens to attract wildlife.
In the winter break, children and young people prepared food for the whole group each day, learning more about food production, development and health and wellbeing.
Outcome
The three holiday activity clubs delivered:
- 112 hours of play provision
- 121 unique participants
- 662 total engagements
- 728 nutritious meals provided (surplus given to local community)
- 5 Social Action projects
There is clear evidence about how healthy and nutritious food can have a real positive impact on children and young people’s nutritional, physical and mental health. However, by involving the same children and young people in social action, will result in those children and young people sharing new ideas with those closest to them and challenging pre conceptions on nutrition and climate change.
Feedback from the children and young people involved has been overwhelmingly positive and includes:
“Youth scheme was so fun. Keeping me busy every single second. Each day just got better every day. The constant things we would do was amazing” (Participant, Aged 13).
“Overall I loved coming here. It kept me busy and it was very fun. I would come here whenever it’s open and I’m free.” (Participant, Aged 13).
“I love this place and I want to come here everyday” (Participant, Aged 10).
“I would really love to come again!!!” (Participant, Aged 12)
