Training the future of food education

The Kitchen Garden Foundation training team have been busy over the last few months travelling around the country training the latest intake of schools to the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Program.

Over 15 training sessions have been held, with over 200 participants from over 100 schools located across Australia, from Hobart to Townsville, Perth to Orange.

This latest batch of training is particularly significant for the Foundation as it represents the completion of the current project, which was supported by the Australian Government and saw over 400 schools trained in delivering the Kitchen Garden Program.

We welcomed a motley and passionate crew of participants to these workshops. As well as Kitchen Garden Program Coordinators and Specialists, Principals, classroom teachers and even parents and volunteers came along to learn the ins and outs of pleasurable food education.

The training is all about getting a hands-on experience of a kitchen and garden class. The teachers become the students, as they get a taste of pleasurable food education in action. In the kitchen sessions, participants prepared Kitchen Garden Program classics, such as a basic pasta dough, simple pasta sauces and Salad of the Imagination. While the garden sessions were busy with tool identification, composting and soil testing. “The activities explored are immediately transferable to school,” observed one participant from the Introductory training in Brisbane.

Taking the time to sit down and share the fruits of the labour is a cornerstone of the Kitchen Garden Program philosophy and, at each session, the participants came together to taste and enjoy the dishes prepared. “The highlight was the delicious lunches and engaging activities. It was wonderful. The course has made me a lot more confident in the kitchen and garden,” reflected a participant from the Introductory training in Moruya.

We want each person to walk away from the training with the knowledge, resources and confidence to take the next step in their school’s journey, recognising that everyone is at a different stage. By all reports, it seems this training hit the mark …

“These sessions empowered me and increased my enthusiasm (if that was possible) to getting the Program going in my school,” reported a participant from the Introductory training in Melbourne.

A big thank you and welcome to all the schools who recently joined the Kitchen Garden Program and attended their first training session. Our team had a great time getting to know you all and we wish you the very best on your Kitchen Garden Program journey.

An active schedule of hands-on training continues: Delivering Kitchen Garden Classes workshops provide an introductory session suited to new staff at Kitchen Garden Program schools and our Skills and Networking Workshopsare suited to experienced teachers and Kitchen and Garden Specialists looking to polish their skills. Visit the Training for Schools section of our website for the latest dates and locations.

All training is open to Program Schools and Members of the Kitchen Garden Classroom. For more information about how your school can become a Member and access training, visit the Membership page on our website.