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Over the last three academic years, the Dublin City Community Co-op’s Healthy Communities Project has collaborated with Larkin Community College secondary school in Dublin 1 to deliver the Healthy Food Made Easy Programme. A need was identified to provide cooking education to 1st Year students in the school, and Larkin Community College identified the Co-op's Healthy Food Made Easy programme as a way to meet that need. The cooking course teaches participants how to cook healthy meals on a budget and the Co-op's Community Health Worker, Lewis Byrne, delivers a specially developed version of the programme tailored to the young students. The HSE funds the programme. In 2023, Localise Youth Volunteering joined the Co-op and Larkin Community College as the third partner in the venture, the purpose being to encourage volunteering amongst young people. As part of the volunteering element of the initiative, the students are asked to cook a meal for an older person’s community group. During December, the first two groups, which included twenty five 1st Year students, worked together to not only cook a two-course meal, but create Christmas cards, organise and decorate the room for the meal, and prepare entertainment for the older people which included poems, music and storytelling. Some of the 4th Year students also helped with the large food preparation and setting up the space. A total of 55 students were involved with preparing the event, along with assistance from 10 teachers and members of staff. 12 members of Leo Street Day Centre for Older Persons arrived at the event to be treated to an unforgettable Christmas experience that they greatly enjoyed. Altogether between 40-50 people had dinner on the day with Shepard's Pie as the main course and delicious Apple Crumble to follow. The older people sang carols with the children and told fascinating stories of their own childhoods, while also getting the chance to sing some classic Irish songs themselves. It was a very special day indeed and a huge thank you goes to the amazing students of Larkin Community College secondary school. Plans are afoot for the next community meal which will be held around Easter time next year. Groups 3 and 4 of the 1st Years are already working together on a menu and preparing to invite Leo Street Day Centre back to meet with a whole new set of students. We can't wait to see what is on the menu......!! On a Healthy Food Made Easy programme are we allowed say.......Easter Eggs please..... 😁 😁 😁 Irish Local Development Network Health Service Executive NEIC Dublin Hugh Frazer