The future consumers (and gardeners and cooks) of Lewes
Host: Giles Dickens
Who attended: Sean, Jenny, David, Polly, Francesca, Giles, Amelia and others
Main points:
- Key question: how can we ensure today’s kids have the skills, attitude, knowledge… they will need (for food in a post-oil world)?
- It’s all about education – through schools and elsehow
- Families can share and transmit growing and cooking skill s, as well as positive attitudes – the inspiration and satisfaction
- Primary schools are key community links and resources – local, inclusive, accessible. School gardens (fruit and veg, poultry) and kitchens. Opportunities for parental involvement
- Secondary schools too – as well as through school meals (thanks Jamie!) and work experience/vocational courses for some/all year 10+ (see below) ‘Make it real’ eg ‘Cook and eat a pizza’ rather than ‘design packaging for a pizza’
- Tertiary Colleges (Note: Kinsale FE College was the start of the Energy Descent Action Plans) Plumpton and Sussex Downs College have a huge role to play
- Common Cause have blazed a trail to schools
Focus areas:
Top Priority: work in and through Primary Schools. In addition to above ideas, they could host communal meals (?use of kitchen may be an issue, with school catering contracted out…) eg Saturday lunch, all parents invited, inclusive, also maybe distribution centre for fruit, veg bags, parents collect when they come for the children, children could have been taught how to cook ‘strange veg’, and could have already enjoyed eating the end result at school lunch
Get involved: contact hello [at] TransitionTownLewes.org.uk
