Hull’s Young Mayor and Youth Representatives have launched a website to help residents access nutritional information, recipes and food support.
Hull’s Young Mayor and Youth Representatives are a voluntary group of young people aged 11 to 17 years old. The members of the group meet weekly and discuss policies and services that are important to them. Discussions have led to the development of several projects.
Their latest, the ‘Food & Solutions,’ website has now been launched.
‘Food & Solutions,’ came about following conversations young people have had with local organisations such as the Hull Food Partnership, over the last two years. The group carried out their own research and found that young people in Hull face many barriers when it comes to accessing quality food and finding community support.
The group lobbied for funding and the Smile Foundation awarded them a grant of £1,900. This was then matched funded by the council’s Leader’s Fund.
The group developed the content for the ‘Food & Solutions’ website themselves, including writing their own tried and tested affordable recipes, and the promotional campaign materials, with the aim of supporting young people’s health and wellbeing.
‘Food & Solutions’ includes a range of information including facts and tips about nutrition and affordable recipes. It also provides the details of local organisations that provide quality food support, such as food banks. The website aims to equip young people with information that they can share with their families and friends.
The group developed a campaign to launch the website to their peers, which started with events at youth centres and youth groups. They plan to talk directly with young people about the kind of information they can get on the website and do some fun activities, including cooking some of their nutritional own recipes that feature on the website, including the Young Mayor’s Rice Dish.
Posters and ‘Food & Solutions’ stickers will also be sent to Hull secondary schools, community centres and libraries.
Youth Reps Emily and Isabel sad: “We are extremely excited to see the campaign happen because it is so powerful. We have a strong sense of pride regarding our work and hope it will have a positive impact on many people.”
Councillor Linda Tock, the portfolio holder for Children’s Services at Hull City Council, said: “Hull’s innovative Youth Reps are passionate about finding solutions to problems they see that affect young people in Hull. The new resource they have created accessible, easy to navigate and will provide valuable information to young people and their families that might need food support.”
Visit https://foodsolutions.nurturehull.org.uk to access the new website.
