In youth centres across Luxembourg, cooking sessions are helping adolescents learn about food, nutrition, and culture, providing a social setting that many miss at home.
Even during school holidays, learning continues – often outside the classroom. Activities like cooking and nutrition education play an important role in more informal settings, such as in youth centres.
At a recent culinary event organised by the Olm youth centre under the motto 'Grill and Chill', young people from six different youth centres came together to cook, eat, and socialise. The initiative gave them the chance to get to know one another, share conversations, and enjoy the experience of preparing food together – something many said they rarely do at home.
Adolescence sets the course for later health, says Simone Dégardin, dietitian at the 'Taste School' ('École du Goût') in Brandenbourg. Since 2007, the school has offered a broad range of workshops on nutrition education, reaching 2,684 participants last year, including 1,045 through interactive sessions.
Dégardin highlights that nutrition education goes far beyond healthy eating: it is about understanding food origins, production methods, and their impact on health, climate, and nature – all while promoting social interaction and even economic opportunities related to food industries. Importantly, cooking together also helps convey food cultures – whether Luxembourgish or international – and fosters fundamental aspects of health.
Cooking is a core part of non-formal education, confirms Luc Bëttel, managing director of the JUKI nonprofit. At many youth centres in Luxembourg, communal cooking takes place every Friday evening, providing a setting for informal learning and conversation. The Leader Zentrum Westen's project, for instance, invites different centres to host one another for a shared meal, a concept reminiscent of a Come Dine With Me episode.
Youth leader Jamie sees it as a way to bring people together, make others happy, and break the routine of simply eating out or ordering takeaway. Bëttel meanwhile stresses that these activities offer more than lessons about food. "It is a very nice moment when you cook together because you quickly address topics that you might not discuss in a formal setting. It brings a lightness to conversation."
Educators guide young people not only in cooking but also in grocery shopping, comparing prices, and understanding differences between organic and conventional products, encouraging them to engage with taste and preparation.
While studies show that today's youth eat more fruit and vegetables and consume fewer sweets, the number of overweight adolescents continues to rise. Additionally, fewer young people eat breakfast, and family mealtimes are becoming less common.
The École du Goût also points to the influence of advertising, particularly for energy drinks, which increasingly targets young consumers through social media and influencer campaigns.
Youth participating in the Olm event echoed how much they enjoyed spending time together, cooking, laughing, and creating shared memories – especially in contrast to the isolation many feel in daily life. For them, the joy of connection was as important as the cooking itself. As one participant put it: "Here, everyone talks together, laughs together, eats together – and that's what really matters in the end."
