Foodlink offers free summer youth program in July
Foodlink of Tulare County will provide itsw DEEP Roots Summer Youth Institute July 8 through 12. The institute will be held at the Academia Juvenil de Arte Y Cultura (AJAC) office of Comision Honorifica Mexicana Americana, 466 E. Putnam Dr., Porterville.
Nicole Celaya, Executive Director of Foodlink for Tulare County, said the DEEP Roots Summer Youth Institute will be a three-tiered educational opportunity for students 13 to 17 years old, who live in Tulare County District 5, which comprises of Porterville, Springville, Terra Bella, Poplar, and Richgrove.
“The one-week program will have three components,” Celaya said. “We will hold cooking classes where students will learn hands-on cooking techniques along with nutrition. Our youth will also learn how to organize and get involved with local governments and decision-makers in order to make positive change in our food system.”
The Urbanists Collective will also teach students how to use art to engage with the public, concentrating on creating and presenting art that speaks to food justice. “Food justice is the right of all communities to have access to the nutritious and affordable food they need,” Celaya added. “And we will also take trips to the Foodlink warehouse and the Sequoia National Forest to demonstrate the way our food system and the environment are intricately connected.”
According to Celaya, the DEEP Roots Program (Developing our Edible and Equitable Potential) is all about thinking critically about our food system and how communities can get involved at every level in order to develop healthier and more equitable alternatives.
Once the Institute is complete, participants will apply what they have learned. “At the end of the week,” Celaya said, “students will make a commitment to do something either in their community or individual schools that promotes food justice.”
Celaya also stated the goal of the program is for each student to participate and engage with the Porterville Community, during the First Friday Market in September and October.
“This is a great program to not only learn about food justice, and help our local community,” Celaya said, “but it will also help satisfy school requirements for community service – which looks fantastic on a college application.”
The DEEP Roots Summer Youth Institute is free with all transportation and supplies funded through the Tulare County Step Up Youth Activities Grant, which aims to improve the quality of life of at-risk and underserved youths. Spots are limited but still available, and parents can call Food Link of Tulare County at 559-651-3663, or email nicole.celaya@foodlinktc.org to sign up their children.