The next time you're visiting Bendigo Foodshare or stopping by the nearby Community Farmers’ Market, take a moment to check out the colourful new mural on the Foodshare shed. What you’re seeing is the result of weeks of learning, creativity and collaboration by students from Bendigo NET School.

Creative Cooking for Change is a partnership between Bendigo Foodshare and YO Bendigo, building on the success of the Cooking for Change program. The project brought together practical cooking sessions and a creative mural project, giving young people the opportunity to learn new skills, explore food‑related themes, and make a lasting contribution to a shared community space.

The project began with hands‑on cooking sessions where students learned how to prepare simple, healthy meals while having conversations about food insecurity and food waste. As the program evolved, so did the conversations. Through creative workshops and drawing sessions, students explored food themes and what food means to them, sharing stories about everything from vegetable gardens and pesky goats to favourite meals cooked by people they love and the memories attached to certain foods. Together, they reflected on the experiences, connections, and emotions that food can bring, and worked collaboratively to consider how all these ideas could be brought together into a mural that tells their story.

Working alongside local artist Ange Dunstone, the students were deeply involved in designing and painting the mural, making decisions about colours, images and messages every step of the way. Ange prioritised play and experimentation throughout the process, encouraging students to try new tools like aerosols and stencils, and to let go of perfection.

The sessions focused on slowing down, taking a breath, and trusting the process, with reminders to focus on one thing at a time and then step back to see the bigger picture. Students added personal details throughout the mural, from playful squiggly worms and the participants' favourite fruits to Cam’s much‑loved “camrot” and “camrato”, ensuring the artwork clearly reflected their personalities, humour and ideas.

Some of the most meaningful moments happened quietly. Ange recalls encouraging a hesitant student to be photographed during the painting process:
“I said, ‘You’ll want to remember this when you’re 60!’ You could see the shift  from anxious thoughts to being relaxed and more in tune with letting go to the creative process.”

She also watched confidence grow in unexpected ways.
“Seeing a student who was originally quiet and reserved smile brightly while standing in front of what they helped create was really special. I’m so happy for what they found during our sessions, confidence, reassurance, inspiration.”

The finished mural is more than just a piece of art. It represents the voices, creativity and contributions of young people and helps activate the Bendigo Foodshare site as a welcoming community space.

For the students involved, this wasn’t just about cooking or painting. It was about building confidence, trying something new, working as a team, and seeing their ideas come to life on a large scale. It’s not every day you get to contribute to a public artwork that will remain part of your community.

Most importantly, the project gave young people ownership. They helped shape every stage of the work and now have something tangible they can point to with pride and say:

“I helped create that.”