September 2016
Cooking class helps teens build relationships
C
ooking is an act that brings people together. Many holidays are centered around preparing and enjoying meals with loved ones, but for teens living in transitional group homes, participating in meal preparation is not often an option. However, this is not the case for teens in the Footsteps Transitional Living Program, a group home for teen boys aging out of the Foster Care System. If you were to visit the group home on a Friday right before lunch, you would find teens cooking together in celebration of #FabFoodFriday, the group home’s weekly cooking class. “These youth benefit so much from learning how to cook,” said Alissa Jecklin, clinical coordinator for the Footsteps Transitional Living Program. “It is a skill that they will be able to use for their whole lifetime, and can greatly improve their health and happiness ... [#FabFoodFriday] also provides the youth an opportunity to spend time with each other and staff — building communication skills, problem solving and developing new relationships.” The program aims to provide a fun way to teach teen boys how to prepare simple, wellbalanced meals with the hope that they will carry the skill with them into adulthood. “We’ve made all kinds of different dishes,” said Jecklin. “A few favorites include sloppy joe’s and homemade macaroni and cheese, walking tacos, spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and salad, pancakes and eggs, chorizo and potato tacos, and philly cheese
IN THIS ISSUE
TWO TEEN BOYS PREPARE A MEAL ON #FABFOODFRIDAY. THE COOKING CLASSES AIM TO ENCOURAGE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND PROBLEM SOLVING AMONG TEENS TRANSITIONING OUT OF FOSTER CARE.
steaks with homemade fries.” The teens are encouraged to make suggestions for the weekly meal, and if they do not have any ideas a staff member will pick one of their favorite meals to share. Staff members lead the cooking classes. “The guys seem to really enjoy the opportunity to cook together and learn new skills, “ said Jecklin. “We invite all the guys in our program to join us for lunch, even if they don’t help cook, and its one of the few times we can get almost everyone together. Sometimes we even have former residents
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stop by to help cook or eat, and we welcome that as well.” Footsteps Transitional Living Program also helps teens learn other life skills such as cleaning, budgeting, choosing a career path and making informed decisions about their futures. “We are incredibly proud of our program and the youth who participate,” said Jecklin. “We are so thankful for our connection with Ozarks Food Harvest as it helps us provide opportunities like #FabFoodFriday for our residents.”