Inner Peas:
Youth-designed program promotes connection through cooking
A social cooking program run across four weeks helps young people form new friendships.
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A sense of belonging and connection is crucial for our overall health and wellbeing.
While technology has advanced to allow people to ‘stay connected’ online, many young people still report feeling socially isolated and lonely. Recent research found that nearly one in four young people aged 18-24 years often feel lonely and 46% are too embarrassed to talk about it.
headspace Malvern, funded by SEMPHN and delivered by Access Health and Community, received feedback from clients that young people were experiencing social exclusion and feeling disconnected from their community. In response to this, the headspace Youth Advisory Group came together to problem solve and create something unique that would allow people to form meaningful connections.
What resulted was a social cooking program led by young people, for young people.
Cleverly named Inner Peas, the program ran across four weeks in July 2022 and cooking classes were open to any young person aged 16-25 years old. Classes covered different cuisines including Italian, Indian, Mexican and Korean, and participants received a recipe book to help them cook healthy meals at home.
Following each class, everyone ate the meals they prepared together, which encouraged conversation to support getting to know one another better.
After completing the program, participants shared that they formed friendships, felt understood and more connected to others in the group. Furthermore, their knowledge and confidence in cooking nutritious meals increased.
What participants had to say:
“The introduction to others who felt the same gave me a good sense of community. Definitely appreciated that I could ask for help too!”
“Felt like I relearned the process of connecting with others which is always great to have over the stable course of a month.”
“New experiences, new socialisation, new recipes.”
“I love how friendly the people are in this program!”
Guided by insights from lived experience, Inner Peas created a safe and inclusive environment for young people to connect with like-minded peers and make friends through cooking and food, ultimately improving their health and wellbeing.
Following the success of the program, it ran again in August 2023.
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