Today sees the launch of a suite of reports and resources from our partnership project aimed at improving food security for young people aged 11-19 in the London Borough of Newham.
The project was a collaboration between Newham Council, AYPH and Cordis Bright, running from 2021-2024. It was supported by the Health Foundation in partnership with the Local Government Association as part of the Shaping Places for Healthier Lives programme.
Newham has very high rates of child poverty and a significant proportion of secondary school children on free school meals. We took a complex systems approach to understanding the issue and planning interventions. We focused on promoting food security in two domains where young people spend much of their time – at secondary school and in the Borough’s youth sector.
The work was underpinned by our vision that schools and youth clubs could become ‘food havens’ for this important age group, as they managed the transition to independence. Food is not simply about providing the right ingredients. It is about developing and supporting systems and structures that provide access to it. That means embedding the principle of improved food security for young people in institutional policies, leadership, governance, curricula, staff development and commissioning, as well as in menus and catering arrangements. For young people it is critically important that these kinds of interventions are targeted specifically to their age group –in the places where they spend their time, and fitting in around their daily lives.
We’re delighted to be publishing an overall report, a one page summary, a report on our youth engagement work underpinning the project, and five background briefings. On the web page you will also find other resources such as blogs and information about complex system approaches.
Author: Ann Hagell, AYPH Associate
November 2024