Secondary Years Kitchen Garden Project expands into more schools

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation – in partnership with AstraZeneca Australia – is pleased to announce that the Secondary Years Kitchen Garden Project has expanded into eight additional metropolitan and regional secondary schools in Victoria, and for the first time two secondary schools in New South Wales.

The pilot kitchen garden program launched into three Victorian secondary schools at the end of 2018, Narre Warren South P – 12 College, Numurkah Secondary College and Western Heights College.

“The first three pilot schools have successfully been involved for a year now, and we're all excited about the learning we're seeing, as well as the wonderful kitchen garden ideas and activities being generated and integrated into the students' studies – frequently by the students themselves. The additional 10 secondary schools will help us collaborate and test further, so that the resulting program model fits the needs of a range of secondary school environments. We can’t wait to inspire more educators and young people with pleasurable food education. We're anticipating seeing this work empower the students with self-confidence, life skills and a healthy relationship with food,” said Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation CEO, Josephene Duffy.

Joining the pilot in 2020 are Clonard College, Cobden Technical School, Drouin Secondary College (and Blackwood Centre for Adolescent Development as an annexe), Elwood College, Heywood and District Secondary College, Mordialloc College, St Bernard's College, and Werribee Secondary College. Liverpool Girls High School and Orange High School will be joining from New South Wales. 

The Secondary Years Kitchen Garden Project was developed in direct response to demand from teachers, parents and particularly students themselves, who saw the need for pleasurable food education to extend beyond primary school.

“With nearly a quarter of Australian children and teens aged 5-17 years either overweight or obese, programs like the Kitchen Garden Program for the Secondary Years are important in helping young people understand the value of making healthy eating choices and provides them with the skills and support to translate what they learn in the classroom, into real-life,” said AstraZeneca Australia and New Zealand Country President, Liz Chatwin.

To date there have been approximately 300 students involved in the pilot. By the end of 2020 we expect 1,300 secondary students aged 12-18 will have taken part in the pilot.

The resulting Secondary Years Kitchen Garden Program will launch at the end of 2020, so that any Australian secondary school can take it up, integrate it with their curriculum, and use the program to achieve an array of health, wellbeing, education and community engagement objectives.

To find out more about the Secondary Years Kitchen Garden Project, contact our Secondary Years Project Officer Maria Pokorny at maria.pokorny@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au