Why work with schools & young people?
"For most of us, the quest to create a sustainable future is linked to a desire to make the world a better place for our children. Only by engaging the next generation in the issues we face and the solutions to them, can we create a future that is truly sustainable." Pat Thomas, Stuffed
Local food projects with schools & young people
There is a huge range of creative work that can be undertaken with schools and young people, both within and outside of formal education. Below are project ideas with links to resources to help you get started:
- Support families to access affordable local veg by starting a food cooperative.
- Provide practical education through cooking & growing clubs. Skool Beanz is an inspiring example and offers training to others who want to start growing. See our growing resources below.
- Improving local procurement for school meals, e.g. the Food Links project in Dorset.
- Schools can participate in the Food for Life partnership, an awards scheme with a framework for schools on linking school meals with growing and cooking, farm visits and community engagement. They offer support to school staff who are creating school gardens and improving school meals, and farmers who want to host educational visits.
Further information & resources on growing
- Somerset Gardens Trust provides small grants for school gardens annually
- Future Gardeners - information for growing with children, regular forum and newsletter
- Food4Families - different resources, including growing guides
- Growing Schools Teachers Resource Pack
Here is our resource pack - Food growing activities with children and young people. It will help you to develop initial ideas and make decisions before you start growing. There is plenty of advice about the practicalities of setting up a growing area and what to grow, as well as ways to evaluate and celebrate your successes.
- Advice for growing crops in containers
- Suitable varieties for containers
- Make your own reservoir container worksheet
- How to grow pea shoots
- How to sprout beans and seeds
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This resource is timeless, but a few of the contacts / links may now be out of date, so please contact us if you need any additional information.
