ohg youth food literacy program

The purpose of the Orange Home Grown Youth Food Literacy Program is to foster a healthier, more sustainable food system and to pass these values on to the next generation. We want to change how people measure the value of food and the impacts it has on our environment and our health. Through this program, students interact with local farmers focused on conserving natural resources and biodiversity, along with local chefs who demand flavorful ingredients grown in healthy nutrient-rich soil for their dishes. 

This youth program in the City of Orange is geared towards providing hands-on learning opportunities for OUSD high school students to engage in the entire food production cycle, and to give them the tools to make powerful choices related to food, their health, and their future. Classes include interaction with local chefs, farmers, certified dietitians, catering directors, culinary schools, non-profit executive directors, food science professors, and more. From seed awareness and crop diversity, to digging in the dirt, interaction with local farmers and chefs, an introductory culinary class, and a day spent at Chapman University with their Food Science department, this program will provide a balanced look at all aspects of our food system.

• 10-month certificate program (total of 5 classes, 1 volunteer opportunity and 1 graduation event/ceremony)
• Course completion certificate provided by Orange Home Grown at end of year program celebration
• All students that complete the program are eligible for scholarship award(s)
• Free to selected OUSD students- must complete application and interview process
• Program calendar with class dates/times/location provided to each student upon acceptance into program
• Scholarship recipients selected by Orange Home Grown Board
• Additional program materials provided during each class
• Program t-shirts and curriculum material distributed first day of class
• Students are responsible for securing their own transportation

• How to select ingredients grown locally, picked at their peak ripeness and flavor that reduce impacts on the environment (reduce carbon footprint)
• Regenerative farming practices
• Creating healthy relationships with our food “closed loop system”
• Understanding how to read food labels and how these ingredients affect our body
• Seeing first-hand a successful approach to running a food-based business
• Techniques for food preparation and event food service
• Hands-on planting, harvesting, and soil prep