A Kitchen Culture program is bringing together young people from diverse cultures to cook a variety of national dishes and share life experiences.

Werribee's New Wai, 19, originally from Thailand, had fun last week in the kitchen with her new friends.

"It's a first for me. I have met people from different places. I got to communicate with other nationalities and I improved my English."

Nyakier Mawyn, 18, who arrived in St Albans from Sudan, is hoping for a career in hospitality.

"I do a lot of cooking at home, I have three brothers and I feed them. I would like to be a professional cook."

Fate Umer Bekar, 21, from West Footscray, usually cooks only dishes from her homeland Ethiopia. "But I cooked lasagne last night. It was very good," she said.

Up to 80 people aged 15-25 take part each year in the program run by Melbourne City Mission, attending one afternoon session a week for about two months.

Melbourne City Mission's Steve Maillet said it was an opportunity for young people to meet each other.

"They were very quiet at the start but by the end they were all talking. It is a group of young people who may not have made friends otherwise."

He said that besides giving them life skills it was also a first step to a career in hospitality.

"It's giving them education, employment and training pathways. It can help them gain access to work."

Kitchen Culture, now in its second year, is funded by VicHealth for three years as part of a Building Bridges initiative aimed at reducing racial discrimination. VicHealth chief executive Todd Harper said the program was about harmony for health.

"There is a clear link between racial discrimination and mental health problems, particularly depression," he said.

"There is emerging evidence of an association between discrimination and physical health problems such as heart disease, weight problems, diabetes and low infant birth weight."