People from the west of the city were given a chance to talk about things that affect their health during the summer holidays, when a conference was held in Newcastle Civic Centre. Unusually, the annual Community Action on Health conference also included a section for young people where representatives from Cowgate, Scotswood and Denton talked about their health concerns. It was a first for conference organisers and the move won praise from many of the adults there, including Newcastle City Council Health Policy Manager, Peter Kenrick.
| Half the Kids’ Cafe is about enjoying eating the food and helping to prepare it. The other half is playing games relating to food. |
There are already lots of things that the Council provides for young people", said Mr Kenrick. There are a lot of youth workers who work in the West End. There are youth clubs and youth facilities, but perhaps they are not as young people want. So, we have to listen to young people in the West End, and across the city. We want to make sure that the needs of young people are well represented."
Another adult at the conference, Caroline Freeman, a researcher and Scotswood Youth Strategy Homework Club assistant, was struck by the differences in young people's knowledge of health issues. "I was quite surprised by some young people's lack of knowledge in certain areas. In others they overcompensate in knowledge. Some really knew lots about drugs and smoking, but others didn't know about diet."
So, never ones to avoid a challenge, a team of Children's Express reporters decided to find out a little more.
We went to the Kids' Cafe in the East End of the city, where the emphasis is on promoting good health and good nutrition. The Cafe, based in the Thomas Gaughan Community Centre in St Anthony's, Walker, is about giving children aged five to 11 the opportunity to try different foods they maybe havent had at home, says East End community dietician, Caroline Laidlaw. "A lot of children like crisps, cakes and biscuits. All of us do, but the Kids' Cafe is all about learning that those are to have as treats rather than to replace proper meals".
The scheme, piloted last year and repeated again this summer, runs once a week through the holidays and regularly attracts some 50 children to each session. It's a noisy place, but it's obvious the children and young people enjoy being there. Each session lasts an hour or so and has a theme designed to get a simple message about healthy eating across. It also teaches you about food preparation and cleanliness, but it's meant to be fun.
"Half the Kids' Cafe is about enjoying eating the food and helping to prepare the food", says Caroline Laidlaw. "The other half is actually playing games relating to food."
The day we visited they had a relay race where children made up a healthy pizza and a healthy sandwich. Other times there are quizzes. One 11 year old particularly enjoyed a game which involved putting body parts onto a skeleton. The games are a popular part of the Kids' Cafe. Thats the main reason why Mark, 11, a regular attender at the Cafe, goes there, but he also likes the fact that "its good for you and keeps you fit".
Although the scheme is devised for five to 11-year-olds, the Cafe also attracts older children like 13-year-old Christopher Donaldson who comes because "there's nothing else to do". Others are attracted by the prospect of eating the food, and one eight year old goes because her mother is a volunteer in the kitchen, alongside a dozen other parent helpers.
The young people come for free, thanks to donations from the East End Partnership, NCH Action for Children, Co-op Dairies, the Walker Health Project and others. It's very much a community venture.
The idea got off the ground after it was noticed that many parents face financial hardship during the summer holidays. "We started doing it during the summer because a lot of children who normally get free school meals don't get extra provision during the summer. Their parents don't get extra money for food, and it was something we identified in this area as being a problem," said Caroline.
It's possible the theme may be trialled in the North West of the city, with at least one health worker actively promoting the idea. Although nothing has been set up yet Caroline and her co-wolkers intend to write a training manual which can be used by other projects wanting to set up something similar.
About the team
This article was produced by editors Steven Boyle, 16, Michael Marshall and Philip Lockyer, 15, and reporters Andrea Dixon, 13, Charlene Mackay and John Quinn, 11, and Natasha Crowl, 9. It was published in the North West Post in Newcastle.
