Through our partnership with Cultura and City of Greater Geelong Family Services, we recently delivered a cooking session for a group of newly arrived Afghan men seeking asylum in Australia. For many participants, this was their first experience preparing meals independently.
Several participants explained that, in their country of origin, cooking and household responsibilities were traditionally undertaken by women, meaning they had never learned these skills themselves. The program provided a supportive environment to explore Australian food culture, develop confidence in the kitchen, and learn about healthy eating.
The group particularly enjoyed preparing and sharing a spaghetti bolognese, with many commenting on how different the flavour was from the foods they were familiar with.
One participant shared: “It’s been very interesting for us to learn these new skills, participate in the kitchen, and learn more about healthy eating and affordable cooking.”
Another participant said: “It has been a very fun experience and good to be around other men going through the same transition”.
This session highlighted how Cook.Connect.Share. can support settlement and social inclusion by helping participants gain practical life skills, improve food literacy, and build confidence as they navigate life in Australia.
Building Connection and Confidence Through Cooking
One of our recent Cook.Connect.Share. programs welcomed eight young people referred through MELI...
