AFTER SCHOOL: LEARNING SKILLS, SHARING, AND RESPONSIBILITY

Students cook real foods to feed their busy families

Summary: A proposal for an after-school program of cooking classes and feeding families.

This is Marion, I have mostly been in the background of this Substack so far, but today I’m excited to share something close to my heart. I am a dreamer and an optimist; how else can you live in this world? This is a project I’ve been dreaming about, and I would love to find the capital to make it a pilot project.

The concept is simple but impactful: create a teaching kitchen within a school, community center, or perhaps an emergency shelter; equip it with enough cooking stations to accommodate a group of middle schoolers who gather each day after school to participate in a program that teaches them the basics of cooking with real, whole ingredients.

In the kitchen, the students would learn meal planning, composting, budgeting, food preservation, and “cooking continuously” - which means planning ahead so that ingredients from one meal can be used in subsequent meals — like roasting a chicken and using leftovers for soup or sandwiches or making broth from discarded parts for another meal.

The program’s most unique aspect is that, in addition to learning cooking skills, students would prepare a nutritious dinner to take home to their families. By the end of the year, they would not only be proficient and confident in the kitchen, but they would also be able to cook for their families at home.

Food preparation, and especially cooking, are essential life skills that have been lost in many households over recent generations. In addition, this program offers an opportunity for students to play an important role in their family’s well-being and contributes to a sense of purpose and empowerment that many kids today lack.

Often, after-school activities focus on academic enrichment, sports, or simply act as childcare. While valuable, such experiences don’t always foster a sense of responsibility or connection to the home. Children’s chores today are often limited to simple tasks like taking out the trash or doing laundry—chores that don’t always feel meaningful.

But when a child brings home a meal they have prepared, explains how they made it, and shares why it’s healthy and nutritious, they’re contributing in a way that’s deeply empowering. This experience could also inspire family members to reconnect with the tradition of cooking from scratch and help instill healthier habits in the home. Children are also more likely to try new foods and expand their tastes if they prepare the food themselves.

The program would be free for all participants, with students enrolling for one school year. Those students who show exceptional interest and skill might return as assistant cooks the next year, further deepening their learning.

Additionally, when the community center, church kitchen, or emergency shelter might be needed, alternate plans would be in place. Students might be given the opportunity to volunteer their help for whatever function the facility was having. Beyond serving the students, the ‘after-school kitchen’ might find other ways to be serve the community, as in fundraising efforts, community outreach (such as feeding the homeless), or even local farmers producing value-added products.

In essence, this program would not only teach children valuable kitchen skills but also instill a sense of purpose, responsibility, and community. It’s about giving students the tools to nourish their current and future families, improve their well-being, and make a lasting impact on their communities.

Your thoughts could help make my dream an even better reality. Please consider sharing them.