Get HYPE Philly is a city-wide initiative for youth development, funded by GSK and brought to youth by several organizations including The Food Trust and the Free Library of Philadelphia. At Parkway Central Library and the North Philadelphia libraries, Get HYPE Philly is primarily known for Food Education. Basically, we show up, we cook, and we have fun!

Those who show up to our programs know that it’s much more than that. Teens, ages 12 to 18 years old, can try out different recipes with both familiar and unfamiliar foods. They learn how to safely use a knife, cooking appliances, and utensils. They work together, following a recipe and making a meal that’s tasty for everyone. This past year, it seems like we’ve made almost every recipe imaginable, including soups, smoothies, guacamoles, dumplings, pasta salad, and more. We’ve gotten a lot done, but we want to do more! Want to know our real challenge? Spreading the HYPE around health!

Our response to navigating health data and nutrition trends is having an approach to foods that is simple but effective. We talk about "Keeping Food 100"—or in other words—real. Keeping food real starts by eating foods that are grown in the ground and have simple ingredients which we can pronounce*. We challenge teens to think about what’s in their foods, where it comes from, and practical ways to eat better foods.

Talking about healthy foods can get confusing, redundant, and sometimes it can seem boring. Still, it goes without saying that these discussions have to happen and fortunately, we’ve already seen Get HYPE Philly’s positive impact. We survey youth at our programs, and over 90% said they learned or tried something new, and that they would come back for another program.

Our goal is to boost youth’s understanding and enthusiasm for real, delicious food – feeding their minds and their bodies. After all, HYPE stands for Healthy You, Positive Energy!

Download our Get HYPE Philly! Programs Calendar or browse for our events online.

Want more info about Keeping Food 100? Check out these online databases:
Consumer Health Complete, KidsHealth, Medline Plus, Health and Wellness Resource Center, or search for books about ingredients in our catalog like Why There's Antifreeze in your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients and Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics.

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