GEMS Wellington School, Qatar serves up nutrition education with Jamie Oliver’s Bite Back 2030
GEMS Wellington School, Qatar (WSQ) has joined it’s UAE counterparts to engage in celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s global ‘Bite Back 2030’ campaign, with the aim of educating students on the importance of healthy meals and nutrition and furthering their understanding of food technology.
Bite Back 2030 began in the UK, where students have led a movement of young people to step up and take charge of the national conversation on child health and nutrition. Together, they have created and championed strategies within their schools, both at corporate and government level, to tackle rising obesity rates.
The impact of the campaign has already led to policy changes in the UK, and the GEMS Wellington schools are now proud to be the first international partners on this important mission. WSQ is the first and only Qatar-based school to embrace Bite Back 2030, alongside GEMS Wellington Academy – Al Khail, GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis and GEMS Wellington International School, in Dubai.
The schools’ teachers have been learning from the team of experts at Bite Back 2030 about what has been effective in the UK in terms of creative cooking classes and understanding campaign strategies, which has helped the schools create extra-curricular activities and student-led initiatives such as school recipe books and a review of school canteen menus. Under the guidance of each GEMS Wellington school’s Bite Back Ambassador and Principals across the group, students are discovering the simplicity and sustainability of healthy eating, as well as the impact of food miles and how good nutrition leads to better wellbeing.
David Wilson, Principal and CEO of GEMS Wellington School – Qatar, said: “We believe that it has never been more important for children to have access to healthy, nutritious food. With 7 billion+ people on the planet, we need to think about how the production and supply of food can be maintained ethically, while also being mindful of the environmental impact. Our participation in Bite Back 2030 is a great way to amplify our Food Technology programme.”
“For example, Year 9 students have been researching the importance of marketing influences and how vast fast food companies “entice” their audiences into buying a product, without knowing its carbon footprint value, or its full nutritional profile. Year 8 have been looking at the ‘bigger picture’ of how rice is grown, and the holistic overview of how it can be produced GM free, supporting local farmers' livelihoods with empathy in mind. And Year 7 has been making observations on food wastage and how it affects the planet.”
“At WSQ, we’re not just educating students to gain qualifications, but also to develop the skills, knowledge and sense of responsibility to drive positive change and create a better world”.
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