Learning for Life
The Y Ballarat Community Impact Report 2024/2025
Life Skills
Cooking and Nutrition
Life Skills is another of Y Ballarat’s Youth Engage! Programs, designed to give young people a meaningful pathway to re-engage with education.
The program is based closely on our “Things No One Told You” initiative and provides young people with the tools for success. Delivered through local secondary schools, they learn skills which they may not typically acquire in a classroom environment or have the opportunity to learn at home.
Six weeks, six topics
In 2025, we had the opportunity to run a trial program at Ballarat High School. This six week course was designed by the young people themselves – choosing their own classes from a range of suggestions provided by our team. Topics include cooking and nutrition, fishing, money talks, or resume techniques.
Our Engage! Youth Officer, Lilia, spoke about the outcomes for young people. “These life skills are fundamental pillars of adulthood and independence. Unfortunately, not all young people have equal access to opportunities to learn them at home. Programs like this help level the playing field and empower youth to thrive beyond school.”
Nutrition and cooking to take-away
The sessions were also an opportunity for them to build confidence through sharing their current knowledge with the group.
In the cooking session, for example, young people chose to make choc chip cookies, toasties and a one-pan carbonara. Each of these recipes was something one of the group knew how to cook. They were given guidance and equipment to demonstrate it to their peers.
Central to the classes was the idea of learning to cook realistic recipes with a limited number of affordable ingredients. These positive experiences were designed to encourage young people to take these skills with them, recreating dishes at home or later, when living independently.
Expanding opportunities
Life Skills was such a success that the six-week program has expanded to other schools.
Whether they’re applying for a job or demonstrating a boxing move, growth takes shape when young people choose to step up, show up, and learn.
