The South Saskatchewan Community Foundation and RBC Foundation are providing a grant of $15,000 to support youth-led Community Cooking Classes at Stoughton Central School.
The grant will help to provide free cooking classes twice a week for students and community members. Ocean Man First Nation students and community members will be a part of the classes, thus bringing the two communities together and sharing ideas throughout. The classes will be youth led and assisted by professional chef and restaurant owner, Gayla Gilbertson, and chef Alayna McNab from the Happy Nun Cafe in Forget.
The youth will learn valuable leadership skills and entrepreneurial skills because of this program. Cooking classes run for 15 weeks, 2.5 hours per class, two times a week starting in February. At the end of the 15 weeks, the youth leaders from this project will host "Diner for a Day" at the Happy Nun Cafe, where they will learn the restaurant business first-hand by preparing and serving meals to 30 guests.
Youth leader Erin Campbell said the cooking classes will be a fun way for youth and for community members to learn some tasty recipes and put teamwork under their belts.
“The classes are providing a fun, safe, efficient, and cohesive experience for youth to strengthen their skills in the kitchen,” said Campbell. “This is going to be a great experience and certainly one for the books.”
The RBC Future Launch Community Challenge is hosted by Community Foundations of Canada and participating community foundations. It is made possible thanks to a $5 million donation from RBC Foundation, a commitment by RBC and the RBC Foundation to empower Canadian youth for the jobs of tomorrow.
Over the next 10 years, RBC Future Launch is dedicating $500 million to help young people access meaningful employment through practical work experience, skills development opportunities, networking solutions and mental well-being supports and services.
Grant recipient and youth leader Jessica Baumgartner said she is very excited that Stoughton gets the opportunity to give out these cooking classes.
“I feel it will strongly help the community in encouraging youth to learn to cook,” said Baumgartner. “It is a very important skill that I feel as time goes on people are starting to lack. I hope this project works out well and am very glad to be a part of it.”
Grants like this one are being made to youth-led projects in 150 small and medium sized communities across Canada. The goal of the program is to shift the power to young leaders making positive social or environmental change in their communities, while gaining valuable skills and experience.
“RBC is committed to the power, vision and potential of youth, and the important role they play in their communities,” said Salman Khan, RBC community manager, Southeast Saskatchewan. “We are thrilled to see the results of this important partnership with the CFC helping make a difference right here in Stoughton and in communities across Canada.”
The South Saskatchewan Community Foundation serves as a bridge between donors and charities in Regina and in southern Saskatchewan.
“We believe in facilitating Saskatchewan philanthropy, supporting local charities, and developing our community so that our home is a more vital, strong, and fair place to live, work, and play,” said Donna Ziegler, executive director. “Participating in the RBC Future Launch Community Challenge builds on SSCF’s long-time support to local youth and youth leadership.”
“Young people are not future leaders - they are leading social and environmental change right now. We are honoured to play a role in the bold change that youth are leading across the country through this national initiative with RBC,” said Andrew Chunilall, CEO of Community Foundations of Canada.
