Culinary camp teaches IN teens cooking and business skills / Public News Service

Summer camp for kids means horseback riding, hiking, and scavenger hunts. But an Indianapolis chef is using school breaks to teach young people culinary and business skills.

The Summer Culinary Arts Bootcamp teaches participants – typically ages 16 to 22 – about food handling, healthy meal preparation and table etiquette.

Twelve students participated in the first camp in 2023. This year, the number of registrations is 28.

Healthy Soul Indy founder and chef Tawana Gulley saw a niche she wanted to fill.

“The camp started when I realized there were just wayward kids who needed guidance and something to do,” Gulley said. “The one thing I thought I could bring to the table and offer them was my skills in the culinary arts.”

Gulley credited Eric Kilbride, career development professor, for creating the camp plan and securing the funding. She said previous students received certification for culinary careers.

According to the employment website Indiana Career Explorer, the average annual salary for a chef is nearly $55,000.

Professionals from the business world and food industry are invited to the camp to share their expertise in financial literacy, marketing and developing a business plan.

The importance of customer service and responsibility are discussed during roundtable discussions. Gulley said she strives to provide a well-rounded camp experience.

“So after we train them and after they spend the morning with a contractor, they go out and work with these vendors for two hours a day,” Gulley said. “So we have a certified trainer who comes and works out with the kids and talks to them about health and wellness.”

Another important part of the camp is raising awareness among participants about food deserts, particularly in urban areas.

The 2024 Survey Report: Food Assistance and Hunger in Indiana states that the U.S. Census found that the percentage of Black households in Indiana experiencing food insufficiency was twice as high – at 23%, while the general population is almost 12%.

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Summer jobs are a boost for businesses in need of seasonal help. But young black and Latino people are not seeing the opportunities presented to them.

A report from the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago finds that these teens have fewer job prospects than white applicants.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security reports that 16- to 24-year-olds have had the highest unemployment rate of any age group — including those at retirement age — since 2017.

Samantha Sepulveda Santos, a research assistant at the Great Cities Institute, said some neighborhoods are struggling more than others.

“We can see,” Sepulveda Santos said, “that the highest percentages of unemployment among Chicago students – 93 percent – are in the South and Southwest areas. In Hilton, Bridgeport, McKinley Park , Fuller Park and Back of the Chantiers.

Recovery time from pandemic-related closures in the Chicago Public Schools system has been slower than other districts in the region, according to the report.

Sepulveda Santos said she believes this data supports the need to implement equal employment opportunity programs.

The report states that more than 163,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in Chicago are unemployed and not enrolled in high school or college.

Sepulveda Santos acknowledged that competition is tougher for these young people who want to enter trade school and receive technical training for in-demand jobs – which could contribute to higher disparities.

“And another factor that we also allude to is that not everyone has the same opportunities,” Sepulveda Santos said. “Not everyone has the same network, the same preparation for cover letters, for interviews. Most people have an advantage in being able to ask an aunt, an uncle, a neighbor, like others, for a job. “

The institute is seeking funding for a youth job training program to teach teens how to apply for jobs and become productive workers upon hire.

The study also suggests that if Illinois spent $300 million on youth employment, crime rates could be reduced.

Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that as of July 2023, the national unemployment rate for black youth was 18%, nearly 11% for Latinos and 7% for young people whites.

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Companies are constantly looking for new talent in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A central Indiana organization seeks to encourage young people to consider STEM careers.

The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership is made up of 65 CEOs of some of Indiana's largest companies and some presidents of the state's major universities.

The partnership's CEO, Melina Kennedy, said that for its new See Yourself In campaign, one of the goals is to educate young people about the possibilities.

“A lot of young people, especially members of Generation Z, don't really know what it means in advanced industries – like science, bioscience and technology,” Kennedy said. “Even that might be too broad. So this campaign is trying to go further, to share with Gen Z the different types of jobs and opportunities that exist in these advanced industries.”

The campaign highlights life sciences careers in pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing, as well as medical research and testing in health information technology.

The Partnership Youth Summit, with the Indiana Department of Education, will take place in November. The first one was held last year and more than 200 students from across the state participated.

Other career-focused options include a three-year apprenticeship that allows participants to earn college credits, gain experience and grow their professional network.

Kennedy said See Yourself In is a great introduction to allow students to connect directly with industry professionals with a strong presence in Indiana, whose companies help drive the state's economy.

“It’s a starting point for a lot of information, both about real profiles of real people and the type of work they do,” Kennedy said. “So people can think about those sectors, but also about connections to tools and other job offers, training, profiles – things like that, that can be helpful.”

Last month, the Indiana Department of Education announced the certification of 20 additional schools as leaders in STEM education, bringing the total to more than 100.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Lumina Foundation.

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In Montana, get-out-the-vote advocates are spending more time and money than ever to educate young people about elections and get them to the polls.

In Montana, young voters make up more than a quarter of the electorate. Nationally, 63% of rural youth – or about 30 million people – are infrequent or unengaged voters. And among all voters in the country, people under 35 are the most undecided. In Montana, young voters make up 28% of the state's electorate, but they are outnumbered by older voters.

Kiersten Iwai, executive director of Forward Montana, said organizers are trying to change the situation by mobilizing voters under 35 in small towns and rural areas.

“We are registering voters. We are calling them. We will be knocking on doors,” Iwai emphasized. “We will be hosting events and candidate forums to generate a lot of energy and enthusiasm.”

Iwai pointed out that Montana's sheer size presents barriers to voting, including for young people. The Rural Youth Voter Fund therefore works to bring together young people in rural areas to discuss topics such as health care, economic well-being, reproductive rights, climate and education.

Iwai pointed out that while it's not something people tend to view as a problem, younger residents in rural Montana also face a housing shortage, which can lead to additional barriers to voting .

“And that impacts people's ability not only to live here, but also to know when they will receive their ballot and whether their ballot will actually be mailed to them,” Iwai pointed out.

The Rural Democracy Initiative created an online dashboard to help people determine what “rural” really means. It provides county-by-county data on demographics and other key election issues.

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