New secondary schools kitchen garden project

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is partnering with AstraZeneca’s Young Health Programme to develop the first curriculum-integrated kitchen garden program model for Australian secondary schools.

The development of the Secondary Schools Kitchen Garden Program will be informed by the experiences and success of the existing Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program for primary schools, and tailored to the needs of the secondary sector.

Kitchen Garden Foundation CEO Rebecca Naylor and AstraZeneca Australia and New Zealand Country President Liz Chatwin visited a long-term Kitchen Garden Program School, Sunshine North Primary to see the Program in action and launch the new secondary project.

“The new Secondary Schools Kitchen Garden Program to be developed through this project will be the first of its kind in Australia,” Rebecca said.

Rebecca said the secondary school program will help students in Years 7–10 learn positive food habits for life, through a hands-on pleasurable food education program.

“The aim of pleasurable food education is to introduce children to the joys of growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing fresh, seasonal delicious food,” Rebecca said.

Rebecca said the secondary schools program model will extend and continue the learning of students who have taken part in a kitchen garden program in primary school.

“It will also expand the reach of pleasurable food education to students who didn’t have the opportunity to be part of a kitchen garden program at primary school,” she said.

Secondary students Sienna and Jennah, from neighbouring Braybrook College, are spending every Friday morning this semester helping out in kitchen classes at Sunshine North Primary.

The Year 9 students (pictured above) said they loved the experience of being part of the Kitchen Garden Program at Sunshine North.

Sienna said it would be good to have a kitchen garden program at their school to learn how to grow food to cook with in their home economics classes.

AstraZeneca’s Liz Chatwin said the Young Health Programme is part of AstraZeneca’s global community investment initiative.

“It is AstraZeneca’s way to give back to the communities where we operate and is driven by our company’s purpose and values,” Liz said.

“The Young Health Programme has a unique focus on young people and the primary prevention of non-communicable diseases by reducing the uptake of unhealthy behaviours. 

“We are proud of launching our partnership with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and bringing the Programme to secondary schools in Australia.” 

• To find out more about the secondary schools kitchen garden project contact our Secondary Years Project Officer Maria Pokorny on 0415 741 536 or maria.pokorny@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au