How youth gain confidence in the kitchen

“…a middle school student wasn’t feeling confident enough to dice an onion, and all her peers were cheering her on and supporting her. Ever since then, she wanted to cut all the onions! It brought the class together and it is always amazing to see students overcome their fears.”

-Sam, current Chef Instructor and Teen Culinary Apprenticeship program alumna 

The Sylvia Center students, even in the youngest grades, are advocating for healthy food choices in their homes and communities. But it doesn’t stop there! We empower young people at all ages–elementary through high school–with the knowledge needed to make healthy decisions and the confidence to share what they’ve learned with others.

Help us empower the next generation of leaders.

Young people are more encouraged to try new and healthy foods when they take part in preparing the food.

The roots of health disparities start in childhood. Research found that programs like The Sylvia Center’s result not only in improvement of cooking skills, but also self-efficacy, healthy eating, BMI, and blood pressure.* These are essential for generational wellness. 

Since the return to in person programming this past summer, The Sylvia Center has seen a 35% growth in students from pre-pandemic levels. Help us meet the increased demand for our vital programs.

Support youth-led change today!

Thank you for your generous support of our life-altering programs.

*(Muzaffar et al., 2017)