Youth exchange on food, traditions and sustainability
Five national groups cooked their way through each other’s food traditions, built a rocket stove and celebrated the summer solstice with the town. Thirty young people, some of them minors, from Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Why
Food is the simplest way to share a culture. We wanted young people to cook for and with each other, learn where ingredients come from and how to waste less, and bring the town into the celebration.
What happened
Each national group cooked a traditional meal for the others and taught them the recipes, which the groups had brought from home. Around the kitchen, the programme looked at sustainable food: seasonal and local ingredients, reducing waste, and low-energy cooking. The participants built a rocket stove and used it to cook, and a “master chef” challenge turned leftovers into new dishes.
Reflection groups met every day and the Group Leaders met daily. There was a free day and the exchange ended with a Youthpass session and a final evaluation.
A solstice evening with the town
The exchange ended with a public event for the summer solstice, with the Comune di Passignano and the Festival dei Tramonti. The participants cooked and served their traditional dishes, taught the public traditional dances and shared the evening with about 150 visitors.
Results
- Cooking and eating together was the most valued part of the exchange.
- Participants learned recipes from four other countries and practical ways to cook with less energy and less waste.
- Young participants, including the minors, gained confidence in a group of people from other countries.