Local Roots in Chester County

This year's program outline: (Click here for 2008 blog - pictures and stories day by day of the summer program!)

July 21st through August 15th:  Adult staff, volunteers and older youth, ages 16 to 19, will work side by side with youth, ages 12 to 15, in a variety of healthy, experiential learning activities:

1. Morning Activity Sessions: 3 days per week - On organic farms
2. Afternoon Nutrition & Cooking Sessions: 3 days per week - Learn how to make and enjoy delicious foods
3. Food Entrepreneurship Section: 1 day per week - Older youth will create and execute a business plan; produce, market, and sell healthy food
4. Field Trips: To interesting local sites
5. Family Nutritional Dinners: 1 evening per week - Youth and families cook healthy food and learn how to shop smart, read labels, eat smart
6. Leadership and Team Building Skills: Everyday - Develop new habits and confidence Dedicated, experienced staff and volunteers - Working with some of Chester County's organic farming leaders Come home tired - but happy - with lots of stories to tell

Cost: FREE – Funded by the Triskeles Foundation, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, Evidenz Foundation, and other donors. Sponsors are welcome!  

Click here for 2008 blog - pictures and stories day by day of the summer program!

Our Food for Thought Program, developed during 2005-06 in partnership with Temple University's Youth Voices Program, is proud and enthusiastic to put down its roots right here in Chester County. We were fortunate to be introduced to Ed Rodriguez, the social service coordinator at Park Spring Apartments in Spring City - a new partnership was then born.

As a pilot program for the summer of 2007, we set up and hosted six full days of activities for youth from Park Spring and another group from Phoenixville Area Positive Alter-natives. Charlestown Community Farm, Sankanac Farm, and the Kimberton CSA provided oppor-tunities to learn by working on their sites, and the Kimberton Waldorf School's garden building provided a site for nutritional cooking experiences in the afternoons.

Based on these successful experiences, we have forged ahead with local partners and expanded this program for 2008.  We are offering experiential learning opportunities focusing on healthy foods to youth from this area.  The scheduled activities cover several important topics:

Organic agriculture – planting, growing, caring for, harvesting

• Nutrition and the benefits of healthy foods
• Family eating for health – students and parents will prepare and eat healthy meals together
• Food entrepreneurship – students will harvest/prepare organic foods and offer for sale in local settings where it is not normally available

The planning of this year's program has been an exciting step up and many local connections have been pursued as partners in this work: Owen J. Roberts School District's Wellness Council, 4-H of ChesCo, and the Economic Development Council are among them.

At a time when health, physical activity, nutrition, and local food sources are topics of growing interest to many people, we're excited to offer our Food for Thought Program to meet many needs and to provide valuable experiences to the youth in this area.

Please Join Us: If you are interested in participating in Food For Thought ~ as a student, a presenter, a partner organization, or a supporter ~ please email Mark Birdsall, Director of Youth Programs.  Food for Thought addresses a vital topic, and we welcome all who are interested in helping prepare a better future.