Research Report Chicago Teen Food Literacy Curriculum
Micaela Lipman, Megan Thompson, Samantha Batko, Olivia Arena
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An update to the previously published Teen Food Literacy Curriculum, this document provides detailed discussion guides and instructions for facilitating a 16-session course intended to teach leadership skills to teens through the lens of food literacy and advocacy. The course was originally developed in Portland, Oregon, as part of a program that engaged teens, service providers, and researchers to design and pilot a program to improve young people’s access to food. Later, the Urban Institute team worked with partners in Chicago’s Altgeld Gardens, a public housing development, to implement a pilot of the Teen Food Literacy Program. This curriculum was updated to reflect feedback from teens in Chicago. The goal of the curriculum is to equip teen mentors and leaders so that they can support their peers around issues related to food equity and security. This course asks teens to grapple with concepts of identity and intersectionality, food justice, and food literacy by engaging in empowerment activities that can guide them in their personal and group goals. It is intended to be used by adult facilitators who will lead discussion sessions with small cohorts of teens (roughly 8 to 15), in diverse settings.

Research and Evidence Housing and Communities Tax and Income Supports Family and Financial Well-Being Nonprofits and Philanthropy
Expertise Transition-Age Young People Thriving Cities and Neighborhoods Nonprofits and Philanthropy Social Safety Net Early Childhood
Tags Hunger and food assistance Children and youth
States Illinois
Cities Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI