Working with Youth Basic Food Safety Training for Master Food Volunteers

Increased awareness of the importance of maintaining good health, physical activity, and proper nutrition is needed by people of all ages in the United States. The need for this type of educational programming is even greater for youth populations who are constantly growing and developing. Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Master Food Volunteer and 4-H Youth Development programs make the perfect partnership for reaching youth populations in health education. The Master Food Volunteer training program currently does not include training for volunteers on how to work with youth populations. Research shows that quality volunteer training is essential for volunteer program impact and longevity. The purpose of this project is to create “working with youth” training resources for the Master Food Volunteer training program. The project developed a Working with Youth chapter for the Master Food Volunteer training notebook and an online module for the Canvas training website. The focus of the training resources is on the essential elements of youth development, understanding children, tips for working with youth populations, and potential ideas for health-related programming and partnerships. These resources are designed to be utilized by Master Food Volunteers and Virginia Cooperative Extension employees working with these volunteers. It is the goal of this project that increased youth food safety, nutrition, and health related programming will take place thus improving the overall health of the communities served.