Health Initiative
Hope B~Lit members started The Health Initiative, aimed to spread health and wellness awareness in society by educating communities, children and youth in topics related to food and exercise. Volunteers from various regions in the country worked closely to develop lesson plans and to prepare material and activities that can be used by the local volunteers to in conducting the lessons in either after school programs or any other organization. The pilot program was started in Gainesville, FL, at an after-school program called Primetime.
Primetime helps children (age groups K to grade 5) from low income backgrounds who have behavioral issues and also face challenges at school. Local volunteers taught two age groups of children (K-to-1st, 2nd-5th grade) for 2 school years starting in 2008 about topics related to health and wellness.
Primetime helps children (age groups K to grade 5) from low income backgrounds who have behavioral issues and also face challenges at school. Local volunteers taught two age groups of children (K-to-1st, 2nd-5th grade) for 2 school years starting in 2008 about topics related to health and wellness.
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Project Details
Over a duration of 11 classes, conducted once a week, some of the topics covered were: Food Pyramid, Exercise, Importance of drinking Water vs. Soda, Being Healthy, and Eating less Sugar. Role models such as college athletes were brought to class to reinforce what was taught. A class typically had an interactive discussion on the topic being presented usually with aid of props, food, music/videos, demonstrations etc followed by a fun creative activity in class that would support the discussion and an activity to do at home to implement what was taught. |
Project Impact
The Health Initiative has had a profound impact on the lives of both the children and the volunteers. It is hard to quantify the impact, especially since the the classes were only 11 weeks long. However we can confidently say that the project has been successful in making the children more conscious about their health and what they eat. During one occasion, the teachers held an end-of-the-semester Christmas party in the classrooms, where Santa had come with various treats, such as fruit bowls, ice cream, and cupcakes. The volunteers and teachers were surprised to see that a majority of the kids chose the fruit bowls over other foods.
One of the teachers at Primetime in Gainesville, FL had this to say when asked what sort of impact she has seen in her classroom:
"It’s working, it’s getting through. Because they’re doing it, they’re doing it, they’re acting on it.
So I was surprised to see one reading the label. So where did she get that from? From Health Class.”
The Health Initiative has had a profound impact on the lives of both the children and the volunteers. It is hard to quantify the impact, especially since the the classes were only 11 weeks long. However we can confidently say that the project has been successful in making the children more conscious about their health and what they eat. During one occasion, the teachers held an end-of-the-semester Christmas party in the classrooms, where Santa had come with various treats, such as fruit bowls, ice cream, and cupcakes. The volunteers and teachers were surprised to see that a majority of the kids chose the fruit bowls over other foods.
One of the teachers at Primetime in Gainesville, FL had this to say when asked what sort of impact she has seen in her classroom:
"It’s working, it’s getting through. Because they’re doing it, they’re doing it, they’re acting on it.
So I was surprised to see one reading the label. So where did she get that from? From Health Class.”
Contact us to receive more details about the project