The TED Prize for 2010 was presented to chef, restaurateur and champion of healthier eating, Jamie Oliver. As the TED Prize winner, Oliver announced his wish at the annual TED Conference in Long Beach, Calif.
Jamie’s wish
‘I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.’
His reality series on ABC-TV this spring, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, focused attention on the obesity issue in America, specifically in Huntington, W. Va., which had been singled out as the “unhealthiest city in America.”
The TED Prize is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and “One Wish to Change the World.” Designed to leverage the TED community’s exceptional array of talent and resources in Technology, Entertainment and Design, the Prize leads to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact. Among the many participants at this year’s TED conference were film director James Cameron, philanthropist Bill Gates, musicians David Byrne and Sheryl Crow, former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson, cancer researcher William Li, author/educator Sir Ken Robinson and comedian Sarah Silverman.
The plan
Here is Jamie Oliver’s plan to help make his wish come true: Set up an organization to create a popular movement that will inspire people to change the way they eat. The movement will do this by establishing a network of community kitchens; launching a traveling food theater that will teach kids practical food and cooking skills in an entertaining way and provide basic training for parents and professionals; and bringing millions of people together through an online community to drive the fight against obesity. The grassroots movement must also challenge corporate America to support meaningful programs that will change the culture of junk food.
The Needs
Among the needs identified to put Oliver’s plan into action are: help to establish the organization with funding, office space and facilities; partners to equip and run the community kitchens; food suppliers to provide the fresh ingredients; a partner to build and maintain a fleet of food theatre trucks; and education experts and graphic designer, artists and writers to develop creative, fun teaching materials. Oliver is also encouraging people to sign a petition that urges “our leaders to make changes now.”
For more information or to get involved, you can visit this TED website.
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