English Speech

Carevan Foundation

Kids

Program

Cooking
&Caring

the proposal

it’s easier to care than to turn away

The Carevan Foundation’s
Kids Cooking & Caring Proposal
for Year 9 Students in High Schools:

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A proposed partnership to address an identified need/opportunity that will benefit students
The objective is to provide a range of community-based experiences that expose students to broader
community issues. The electives, introduced in 2010, were based on research into this cohort of students:
Understanding Year 9 students Forum Report: Office of Policy, Research and Innovation from Department of
Education & Early Childhood Development, 2009:






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students who perform community service are better adjusted to a variety of situations;
positive experiences lead to better educational outcomes as students assume adult-like roles
and responsibilities;
participation develops a leadership culture within the school environment;
off-campus activities have a direct link to improved academic performance.

Student participation in a partnership with Carevan, a local community organisation that provides practical
support for members of the community that are in need of it most (clients). Year 9 students have to plan
and prepare meals for, and interact with, those clients. Year 9 students’ involvement in the Partnership is on
a rotational basis – 14 students per term – providing all students’ access to the Partnership at some stage
during the academic year. The benefit to students:











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learn the value of voluntary work and how their participation makes others’ lives better;
appreciate that there are people in the community who are worse off than themselves;
contribute to the community by cooking for people less fortunate than themselves: students plan,
cook, deliver and share meals with clients, combining social networking and awareness;
gain employment skills by acquiring a new skill: cooking/food handling;...