Going off script and off recipe with Community MVPs

Remember that the first time you tried shooting a bow and arrow, maybe at summer camp, and you finally hit the target? Or the first time you re-sewed a button on your favorite shirt? Or the first time you successfully configured a “sum” or “average” formula in an Excel spreadsheet, and it made the project you were working on SO MUCH easier?

It feels pretty good to take on a new task, struggle to learn it, then master it over time. Psychologists say when we practice and master new skills we build something called self efficacy, a belief in one’s own ability to persist and succeed. People with strong sense of self efficacy are shown to be more motivated to take on unfamiliar tasks and less likely to get discouraged. Psychologists also think people with high self efficacy tend to set higher health goals for themselves, so they're less likely to be long term smokers, unhealhty eaters, or sun worshipers. Pretty awesome, right?

In youth development theory, we use similar terms to describe the outcomes we seek for our youth participants. Brainfood programs are structured to achieve youth outcomes of self worth and mastery. We provide youth with opportunities to take on completely new tasks - like braiding challah dough or negotiating tasks with people who go to another school - with the goal of building a positive sense of self through trying out new ideas and skills on their own and getting better at them over time. 

In our Community MVPs program specifically, I can think of a thousand ways we provide Brainfood youth with opportunities to try new variations of ingredients, speak off script, cook without a recipe, and step into leadership roles through teaching others what they know. I won't list all 1,000, but here are a few great examples to show you what self efficacy and self worth look like at Brainfood MVPs.  

Stanley and Sheldon scavenged the fridge for Homegrown CSA extras to create this vibrant salad.

Risky business: Kenneth decides to try out tossing his pizza dough up in the air for the first time. It landed perfectly back in his hands. (And the pizza was delicious.)

Shawnee leads a demo for her peers on the 4-stranded round challah braid. She was poised, precise, and proud of her accomplishment.

Asya practices the 6-strand challah braid with a little support and encouragement from yours truly.

Our MVPs researched potential community workshop partners and shared their ideas with the class for how and why to work with specific groups. We ended with a vote on the organization folks were most excited to work with, and I’ll reach out to the winner soon with an offer to provide them a free workshop.

MVPs brainstorm a list of DC food businesses, organizations, and networks they want to map throughout the year. First off, we mapped our own neighborhoods.