Club set to host Healthy Living Field Day
The California 4-H Youth Development Program (YDP) awarded six
counties with $1,000 grants to implement healthy living projects
within their communities, including the local Union 4-H club. The
grant proposals were written by 4-H teens, and successful projects
may involve 4-H members as young as 5 years old.
According to the 2011 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, too many
children are consuming diets with too many calories and not enough
nutrients and are not getting enough physical activity. To address
this issue, the Union 4-H Club of San Benito County has received
funds to plan and implement a 4-H Healthy Living Field Day.
Club set to host Healthy Living Field Day
The California 4-H Youth Development Program (YDP) awarded six counties with $1,000 grants to implement healthy living projects within their communities, including the local Union 4-H club. The grant proposals were written by 4-H teens, and successful projects may involve 4-H members as young as 5 years old.
According to the 2011 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, too many children are consuming diets with too many calories and not enough nutrients and are not getting enough physical activity. To address this issue, the Union 4-H Club of San Benito County has received funds to plan and implement a 4-H Healthy Living Field Day. This community event will feature a healthy recipe cook-off, hands-on informational booths, healthy snack taste tests and physical activity stations. The interactive informational booths will address key topics in adolescent nutrition, such consuming calcium and vitamin D, choosing a healthy cereal, preparing balanced meals and healthy snacks, and eating fruits and vegetables. Since research suggests that eating patterns established in childhood often track into later life, educating youth about making healthy choices is an essential component in curbing the obesity epidemic.
In California, 62 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 17 drink at least one soda or other sweetened beverage every day. Each extra can or glass of sugar-sweetened beverage consumed per day increases their chance of becoming obese by 60 percent. In response to these staggering facts, the 4-H members will create a display that visually illustrates the amount of sugar found in popular sugar sweetened beverages. “We want to reveal how much sugar kids are actually consuming, even though they don’t realize it,” said Kelly Whitely, one of the 4-H members leading the project. The San Benito County 4-H members hope this field day will inspire others to get active and practice healthy habits.
The Union 4-H Club will also be partnering with local farmers, University of California Cooperative Extension of San Benito County, and community members to carry out a successful event. The event will take place in June 2011.
“We commend the 2011 4-H Healthy Living Grant recipients for their creative solutions to solve real health needs in their communities,” said Sharon Junge, director of the California 4-H YDP, in a press release. “4-H youth are the catalyst for a living, breathing, culture-changing revolution for doing the right thing, breaking through obstacles, and pushing our country forward by making a measurable difference right where they live.”
This is the first year 4-H has offered Healthy Living Grants.
