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Cooking Up Fun is an integrated
nutrition, youth development program designed to help youth aged
9 to 14 (grades 4 to 9) acquire independent food skills. The goals
of Cooking Up Fun are two-fold:
• To increase food skills.
• To promote positive youth development.
Why food skills? Cooking experiences help young people learn about
ingredients and how to make healthful choices in food preparation.
Food skills may increase options for youth who rely heavily on fast-food
choices. Knowledge and attitudes about food that are gained from
food preparation may be transferable to other food choice settings.
Preparing food independently in a small group setting contributes
to personal and social development.
Why positive youth development? Within the lifespan, youth development,
or adolescent development, refers to roughly the second decade of
life. This stage between childhood and adulthood is marked by dramatic
changes in all four domains of development – physical, intellectual,
psychological and emotional, and social. Acquiring personal and
social assets such as mastery, independence, generosity, and a sense
of belonging helps young people to become fully functioning adults.
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Cooking Up Fun!