Sizzling a healthy stir fry is something many Canberrans take for granted but a skill many adolescents at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre haven't had the chance to develop.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A new healthy eating program is equipping detainees leaving the centre with the skills to cook nutritious and delicious meals on a budget.
Project Dinnertime has given participants at Bimberi an opportunity to try their hand at beef stir fry, quesadillas and chicken burgers since starting a few weeks ago.
Aside from cooking, detainees are also learning about shopping on a budget, reading nutrition labels, sanitation and setting up their own kitchens.
Project manager Leanne Elliston said a lot of young people did not have the skills to prepare healthy meals and relied heavily on take-away and junk food.
"Many are looking after themselves or caring for others in their homes and haven't had the opportunity to learn basic cooking skills," she said.
Staff at the centre have also been trained as part of the six-week program, which has been developed with Nutrition Australia and funded as part of the ACT government's Healthy Weight Initiative to tackle expanding waistlines in the capital.
The project was piloted at a number of ACT schools and has been tweaked to further engage adolescents.
Nutrition Australia executive officer Lynette Brown said the aim of the Bimberi lessons was two-fold; to equip detainees with the skills to feed themselves in the community and to ensure this knowledge was transferred to future detainees.
While only five detainees have participated in the current project, up to 20 staff have been involved in the first few sessions.
"The custodial officers are able to provide mentoring and role modelling - it makes a big difference," Ms Brown said.
"The aim with the young people is to get them resilient. They are leaving here and going into the community fending for themselves.
"[One of the detainees cooking this week] has been particularly interested, he's not had any experience before and is really keen."
Bimberi manager Greg Corben said healthy lifestyle skills complemented a wider program of initiatives to prepare detainees for life beyond the centre.
"We're trying to give young people an opportunity to experience a whole lot of what we might call normal activities, to continue their education into independent living or better choices around food, and decisions they make about getting involved in certain activities that might get them in touch with the justice system again," he said.
Children and Young People Minister Mick Gentleman said Project Dinnertime complimented the ACT government's goal of reducing overweight and obesity rates in Canberra and showed young people it was "easy to cook, eat and enjoy healthy food on a limited budget".
Community Services Minister Yvette Berry said the program provided skills for life she hoped would be passed on to family and friends.
