With 40% of funding already secured, ArtReach are now appealing for that last push to enable them to provide training for chefs from sanctuary-seeking backgrounds and free community meals from a Global Kitchen.
With just over £8000 left to raise, ArtReach’s #GlobalKitchenLeicester has already resonated with the local area in its aim to host and train volunteer chefs from the refugee and asylum seeking community to share their home country recipes and cooking skills with their local community.
In an effort to bring people together through sharing food and memories, Global Kitchen has built an excellent track record as part of Band 2 NPO ArtReach’s Journeys Festival International Leicester in 2018 and 2019 after 2017’s initial cookery demonstrations.
But now is the time to unite different backgrounds and cultures to create long-lasting friendships and a deeper appreciation of multicultural Leicester by raising the funds via Crowdfunder Leicester for regular bi-monthly sessions and a brand-new cook book!
Sessions are run in collaboration with Soft Touch Arts, an award winning Leicestershire charity, who use arts, media and music activities to make positive life changes for disadvantaged young people by supporting them to develop creative, social and employability skills. Soft Touch Arts has welcomed newcomers through its doors from the very first Global Kitchen session and is placed right in the heart of the communities the project is reaching out to.
Thanks to the support from the City Mayor of Leicester, Peter Soulsby and Business Improvement District (BID) Leicester, this project is on its way to providing various skills to all ages and backgrounds in the Leicester community, from socialising to cooking.
Supporters can back this special project at https://www.spacehive.com/global-kitchen– but there are only limited days for this to happen!
Senior Producer Nicola has personally seen the benefits of the initiative when running the sessions, commenting:
“Global Kitchen has been a joy to witness as local people from our diverse, talented and vibrant city find new friends, develop new skills and most importantly, have fun in a unique activity.”
“It’s been amazing to see Global Kitchen develop from an idea, grow into cookery demonstrations and then flourish into a real opportunity for those from the refugee and asylum-seeking community. Providing them the opportunity to cook and share their home foods while building authentic and meaningful relationships is a really special accomplishment for the Journeys Festival International team.”
Christina Wigmore, director at Soft Touch says “Global Kitchen is such a brilliant and simple project that brings people together through food. Each time we run one of the cooking demonstration sessions, everyone from the chefs to those that watch the demonstrations and eat the food leave with a warm glow and a full stomach of amazing food”.
Past attendees and supporters have shared that they “would like similar events in the future that help with future integration” and that they “really enjoyed cooking, learning different dishes, meeting new people and the food – fantastic!”
The whole team at ArtReach are keen to cater to this need to provide community-based opportunities for interaction and integration so welcome any support at https://www.spacehive.com/global-kitchen