Hostelling International USA Launches Fall 2009 "Cultural Kitchen"Program in Eight Schools in Boston, Brookline and Somerville
October 27, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Laura Wareck
lwareck@oneillandassoc.com
(Office) 617-646-1037
(Cell) 978-660-9587
Paula Levitt (onsite)
Cultural Kitchen Program Coordinator
(Cell) 215-300-2554
Boston - (October, 27 2009) Hostelling International USA (HI-USA) has launched the fall semester of "Cultural Kitchen," an educational program in Boston, Brookline and Somerville schools designed to cultivate global awareness by examining the connection between food and culture. HI-USA's Cultural Kitchen program teaches local middle and high school students to discover and appreciate diversity within their own communities as well as those abroad through the common denominator, food. During the course of the year, up to 200 students participate in the Cultural Kitchen program.
The new fall program is running in eight schools and community centers:
- Renaissance Public Charter School, Boston
- Tobin Community Center, Boston
- Citizen Schools at Gavin, South Boston
- Codman Academy, Dorchester
- Shelburne Community Center, Roxbury
- Edward Devotion School, Brookline
- Kennedy School, Somerville
- Winter Hill Community School, Somerville
The semester spans a 10-week period in which students study their own culture through group discussion, class trips, and the preparation of their chosen culture's food, all funded through donations from Whole Foods Market.
For example, the Codman Academy students will focus their culinary and cultural learning on the diverse flavors of the Caribbean. At the Winter Hill Middle School students will learn about different cultures such as Ethiopia, Senegal, and India, as well as their own cultures, such as El Salvador, Haiti, Brazil, and Nepal.
"We are very excited about the fall semester of Cultural Kitchen where we teach students about diverse cultures and the foods related to those cultures. From Ethiopian cuisine to food from many Caribbean nations, the students are on their way to broadening their awareness and their palates," said Paula Levitt, program coordinator, Cultural Kitchen.
"It is a pleasure to sponsor the Cultural Kitchen Program. Whole Foods is pleased to participate by providing the food which becomes an educational tool where youth learn more about diverse cultural cuisines of their ethnic heritage," said Chuck Olivieri, marketing team leader for Whole Foods Market, Symphony location in Boston.
The Cultural Kitchen program benefits from student volunteers from Northeastern University's Service Learning program. The Cultural Kitchen program trains the college students to manage their own classes, providing them with first-hand experience of curriculum construction and program budgeting. Participation provides the students with a unique learning opportunity while additionally facilitating program expansion.
The program culminates with events at the Boston Hostel, where students prepare a feast for their family and friends and present the information they have acquired over the semester. Hostellers are also invited to learn more about Cultural Kitchen from the students and partake in the feast. This fall semester there will be several double culmination dinner where two sites will come together to cook for each other and share their experiences from the program.
For more information: www.culturalkitchenboston.org
About Hostelling International USA
Hostelling International USA (HI-USA) is part of a worldwide, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing cultural interchange by facilitating worldwide travel. The organization operates 70 hostels in the United States, and is part of the international network of 4,000 hostels in 75 countries. The Eastern New England Council, founded in 1983, is an affiliate of HI-USA whose mission is to promote global awareness, cultural understanding, education and community participation through hostelling. For more information, log onto www.HINewEngland.org.
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