Group: Action 4 Youth
Project: Nutrition at The Junction
Grant: £4,905
Fund: Young Futures Fund
The Junction is a multi service drop-in youth centre based in High Wycombe and operated by Action 4 Youth. Open seven days a week from 4pm to 9pm, The Junction provides a warm, safe space with a wide range of services, including crisis support, mentoring, financial advice, fitness and wellbeing activities, as well as recreational opportunities after school and on weekends.
Thanks to funding from Heart of Bucks’ Young Futures Fund, Action 4 Youth delivered Nutrition at The Junction, a series of transformative weekly food and cooking workshops for young people. The sessions empowered participants to take control of their own wellbeing, while building practical skills they can carry with them into adulthood.
Each week, participants joined two-hour sessions that began with the basics such as kitchen hygiene, food safety and cooking equipment, before moving on to practical skills like peeling, chopping and following recipes. For many young people, this was their first experience of cooking from scratch. Some lacked confidence using even simple utensils, so the group took a step-by-step approach, adapting each session to meet their needs and experience. Simple, nutritious meals were introduced gradually, with a focus on building knowledge and independence.
Over the weeks, young people learned to prepare dishes such as pasta with meatballs, homemade burgers, tacos, fajitas and pizzas. They also enjoyed creating sweet treats including fruit salads, muffins, cheesecakes and cookies. Along the way, they learned how to choose ingredients wisely, understand nutritional value and make their money go further.
The workshops helped young people develop lifelong skills they can use at home, from cooking balanced meals to managing a food budget. Week by week, young people began working together more effectively, communicating clearly and taking pride in what they were achieving. These sessions became about much more than food, they were about learning, growing and building a sense of confidence that will stay with them for life.
Case study
DJ, aged 14, had been attending The Junction regularly for a few weeks before the cooking sessions began. From the very first workshop, his enthusiasm was clear. He was eager to learn and quickly embraced the opportunity to try something new. As the weeks went on, his confidence began to grow, and it wasn’t long before he was stepping up to support others, offering guidance to his peers and helping them through the steps he had already mastered.
DJ was always willing to experiment and explore different dishes, often returning the following week to proudly share that he had recreated the meal at home for his mum and younger siblings. He spoke about how good it felt to take the pressure off his mum, even if just for one evening. Inspired by his experience, DJ has even said he’d like to work in a kitchen one day, proof of how a simple cooking session can spark ambition and open the door to future opportunities.
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