Step 2. Establish a steering group
A steering group is a very valuable feature of a school focused
fruit and vegetable project. A steering group will:
- Be a key forum for sharing ideas, experience and knowledge.
- Help with planning the project.
- Ensure that the project is aware of what other local initiatives
are doing and that activities complement each other where possible.
- Help identify schools that would be interested in / benefit
from the project.
- Provide practical support to the project.
- Make the project more likely to continue and develop over time.
A local group that can support your project may already exist.
If not, invite representatives from the health, education, voluntary
and business sectors to join a steering group. Ask those you contact
for their ideas on who else to invite. Membership will vary from
area to area. See the following page for a list of the type of organisations
you may want to consider contacting.
The following is a combined list of organisations that were members
of the steering groups formed in Lambeth, Leeds and Plymouth during
the pilot phase of Grab 5!. Some members were actively involved
in the project while others simply received regular updates.
Catering
School catering service providers
Catering contract management (Education Directorate)
Education
Education Action Zone
Healthy Schools Standard
Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education teacher advisor
Teachers
Health
Food access development worker
Community dietician
Community dental health
Health Action Zone
Health Promotion
School Nursing Service
Voluntary organisations
Academy of Culinary Arts - links chefs with schools
Business in the Community - gets businesses to offer support to
schools
Education Link Lambeth - promotes health education
Groundwork Trust - runs practical regeneration and environmental
projects
Youth groups - that run activities for young people, such as gardening
Local Authority
Education Business Partnership
Environmental Education Partnership
Environmental Services
Excellence in Cities
Social services
Other
Local fruit and vegetable wholesaler
Researcher (university nutrition and dietetics department)
At the first meeting agree with the group:
- The format meetings will take (i.e. a balance of feedback from
members, planning ahead and identifying new links and support),
- The frequency of future meetings (one every term worked for
Grab 5! during its pilot phase).
- What, if any, practical support members can provide to schools
in the project, e.g. running clubs, health talks to classes or
assemblies, delivery of reasonably priced fruit, running tasting
sessions.
"The Grab 5! steering group played a
great role in bringing together people from different backgrounds,
but with an interest in food, its distribution and use. These were
people who would otherwise not have met in the same context. The
agendas were appropriate and interesting. People were given the
opportunity to feedback, so items could always be added to the meeting.
Opportunities to participate in the project were always raised at
the meetings and this was very good. The number of meetings was
about right"
steering group member
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