Food revolutionaries

My wish if for you to help
a strong, sustainable movement

to educate every child

about food.

To inspire families to cook again,

and to empower people everywhere

to fight obsesity.

I came here to start a food revolution

that I profoundly believe in.

(Applause)

[Great Big Story
in partnership with TED]

Narrator: They had a big idea
to change the world ...

but they couldn't do alone.

(Voices) So my wish,

my wish,

I wish,

and now here's my wish ...

[Torchbearers.]

(Knife chopping)

JA: Food is simple.

It's just raw ingredients.

But it's the most powerful killer
on the planet.

Every child has the human right
to be taught about food:

where it comes from,

how it affects their body.

And they should be shown at school,

because it's at the frontline
of the fight against obesity.

[London, England.]

[Charlton Manor Primary School.]

What happens at Charlton Manor

is that incredible headteacher
took it to the next level.

(Music)

[Timothy Baker. Headteacher]

TB: In the past,

the children weren't
eating the right things.

I've been inspired by Jamie
to educate this school

about the fact that we're feeding
the children the wrong food.

And I though well,

the timetable is an already
crowded place --

there are so many lessons
in the primary curriculum.

How can you introduce another subject
for teachers to teach?

So we looked at English,

we looked at Maths, Science,
History, Geography,

and we saw how we could
put that around food.

(Children laughing)

Elizabeth: When you incorporate cooking,

it's something everyone looks forward to.

Teacher: Today we're doing
a little bit of science in the kitchen.

Teacher: We are going to combine
our lessons on Diwali,

but also our lessons
on shape and symmetry.

Teacher: Would you say this is
a physical change or a chemical change

that I'm making?

Physical change,

you're right.

TB: For history topics,

we talk about the history of chocolate,

and so we can do
a whole topic around that.

Teacher: And the Aztecs had
been cooking with chocolate --

TB: And it's interesting because
it's not made as they think,

with all the milk in
that they would have had --

and the taste is very, very different.

Some children like it;

some children don't.

(Child laughs)

For Maths,

simple weighing and measuring.

Math Teacher: We are going
to be doing a lot of measuring,

because we have to
measure out some liquids,

which we did last term,

we did some measuring.

JO: What he's done is he's put
food at the heart of the school,

and he's fed the stomach and the mind.

(Music)

(Children yelling excited)

TB:Charlton Manor is a state school.

80 percent of children come from areas
that are identified as in poverty.

The children had very little experience
of being outside in the countryside,

milling about,

food-growing.

Over a period of time,

we were able to build a garden.

(Children yelling)

Students: Welcome to the Secret Garden!

Student: This is our greenhouse.

This is our compost bin.

This is our [armory.]

(Music)

This is our vegetable patch.

These are our chickens.

Sean: The chickens come out

and they try and chase ya.

I had to run for my life.

(Music)

[Community Garden. London]

TB: Up at the community garden,

we've got two [party] tunnels
so we can grow year-round.

(Music)

Sean: I will pick onions,

broccoli

and carrots

because they're all healthy,

they make you stronger --

obviously --

and they just make me happy.

So, yeah.

(Birds chirp)

TB: 12 or 13 years ago,

there was a reluctance to engage
in this sort of curriculum.

There were many people that couldn't see
what we were aiming for

and what we were trying to do.

Obesity hadn't reached the epidemic
proportions it has reached now.

We're getting children that look
and appear more healthy.

Concentration is so much higher,

behavior issues are incredibly lower
than they have been in the past.

Student: One the of the great
things they've done

is introduce us to worlds of healthy food.

Student: Before I was
a really picky eater.

Sean: I feel better
when I eat healthier food.

TB: [When you ... .... eye-level,

that's not going to shorten
your life by 10 years.

JO: You don't die young because
you didn't do your geography homework.

These kids die young if they don't
know how to feed themselves.

I think Tim and the team would inspire
headteachers across the world --

and parents.

Any teacher has the same capacity
to be as brilliant as he is.

His story, we want to replicate,

but the truth is we've got
so much more to do.

TB: Jamie really revolutionized
our school dinners,

and it really has hugely impacted
all the children,

but so many in a deep way

that's going to stick with them
for the rest of their lives.

When you change a life like that,

it makes it all worthwhile.

From all of us out at Charlton Manor,

thank you, Jamie.

Student: Thank you, Jamie.

Student: Thank you, Jamie.

[Great Big Story. TED.]

(Music)

[Join the food revolution.]

[jamiesfoodrevolution.org.]

(Music)