On the 27 September AAFRO completed its 2014 Stir It Up program with a delicious presentation lunch attended by parents and Mr Chin Tan, Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission and catered for by the 10 participants.
The AAFRO Stir It Up participants commenced the program on 16 August and were motivated to join the program because they had never really cooked before and wanted to learn new and healthy recipes with the aim of being able to cook for themselves, their family and friends. They were also eager to meet new friends and join a program different to the other extra-curricular activities they usually participate in.
The participants learnt new recipes each week under the instruction of Chef Adam Khazaal including Green Lentil Soup, Pizza, Fruit Salad and Spaghetti Bolognese.
All of the participants did a great job and were awarded a Certificate of Achievement by Mr Chin Tan. Their evaluations of the program were very positive and all agreed that they would recommend the 2015 program to their friends. For the participants in the 2014 program, some of the highlights included:
"Getting to know the group and the trainer." (S. Omer)
"I got to make special and good food." (M. Daher)
"Personally building up my social skills and getting to know familiar faces." (J. Saed)
"Cooking new things every week and knowing I would learn something different from it." (Anonymous)
"Learning to cook healthy meals for family and friends and myself." (Z.Mohamed)
Since the program concluded, all of the ten participants' parents have confirmed that their children are coking regularly at home. We are also proud to announce that one of the participants has successfully gained a job in the hospitality industry.
We would like to thank the Victorian Multicultural Commission for funding this program and we look forward to working with a new group of young people in 2015!
