Young people with Down's Syndrome learn to cook
The courses form part of the Down?s Syndrome Association of Navarra?s Itaca programme
A group of thirteen young people with Down’s Syndrome, together with their teachers, take cooking classes every fortnight at Civican. The aim is for these people to get by on their own in the kitchen, without depending on their families, so that they can make their own meals when at home by themselves. In addition to being able to make simple meals, the course also intends to serve as practical experience for potential jobs in catering (restaurants, pizza parlours, etc.).
This training programme forms part of the Down’s Syndrome Association of Navarra’s Itaca programme, which focuses on preparing people with Down’s Syndrome to meet the needs of adult life, favouring their full integration in society and the work place. It includes pre-job training, integration in the job market and further training in a range of areas.
The day before the lesson, the students and their tutors take a look at the recipe, the ingredients it involves and how the dish is prepared. They then write up the shopping list, go to the supermarket, buy what they need, sort out the money to pay for it and analyse the figures. On the day of the class, the group cooks the meal, prepares elevenses and snacks, and then the students can take the food they have cooked home with them. Professional chefs sometimes come to help out with the class.
In short, the work helps pave the way towards independence and teach the students skills they will need for adult life.
The Itaca project is a social project (No. 10180) which forms part of the ‘You choose: you decide’ platform, which allows CAN customers to choose the causes which part of the profit the bank makes from their business should go towards.