Devonport
East Devonport Child and Family Learning Centre
Survival Strategies in the Kitchen
CAPITOL SHOWCASE
Innovation In Action
Showcasing excellent community-based health and wellbeing initiatives
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Why was this program needed?
• Anecdotally, it was noted that many clients had limited knowledge of nutrition, including healthy food preparation and household budgeting. • Clients with children in their care wanted to ensure they were preparing healthy food for their families. • The importance of social connection was strongly promoted, particularly for more vulnerable members of the community in need of greater support.
The Survival Strategies in the Kitchen program provides parents and their children with improved knowledge and understanding of healthy food, including skills in food preparation and budgeting. The program also provides families with increased skills to improve health and wellbeing. Provided by Youth Family & Community Connections with support from Tas Community Fund
• For a variety of reasons, many participants are not well connected with others in the community. • The program is highly valued as it brings together people who have been marginalised in this community.
The Program in Action • Workshops are delivered in three locations across two different meal preparation sessions – one over lunchtime and another two in the evening. • The goal was to provide access for various cohorts of target participants, e.g., young parents were most likely to access lunchtime workshops at Child and Family Centres. • Key program elements included meal costings, preparing healthy meals, and making children’s lunches. • A strong focus was on the items participants wanted to cook. • Program information, including flyers, were widely communicated via networks of key community members.
Positive outcomes for the Devonport community
• Sessions to date have been very successful and most participants attended 80% or more of sessions. • Anecdotal feedback suggests that the program is very well received by participants. • Post-program feedback indicates that well after the program has concluded, participants are putting their knowledge and skills into practice for the benefit of themselves and their families. • Participants consistently report enjoying the positive interactions with other Devonport community members, and the support the group environment provides.
• A closed social media group was developed for program participants to generate social cohesion and support online. • A recipe book will be produced at the end of each year and distributed at no cost to all participants.
Further information: https://utas.edu.au/health/community-programs/capitol
CAPITOL (Critical Age Periods Impacting the Trajectory of Obesogenic Lifestyles) is a community-based and community-driven project which aims to build capacity in North-West Tasmania to more effectively prevent obesity.