Lets Move Lets Learn

download Lets Move Lets Learn

of 16

Transcript of Lets Move Lets Learn

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    1/16

    Lets Move, Lets Learnis a teaching and learning servicestrategy in which the mayors office

    helps children learn healthy eating and

    exercise behaviors through health-

    focused service-learning activities.

    education & youth,

    health

    LETS MOVE,LETS LEARN

    a s e r v i c e b l u e pr i n t I M P A C T A R E A :

    S e r v i c e a s a S t r a t e gy :

    LETS MOVE,LETS LEARN

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    2/16

    M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y O u t h , h e a l t h

    1

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    3/16

    I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , h e a

    Childhood obesity is an epidemic aecting communities nationwide as thenumber o overweight and obese children has tripled in the last three decades.oday, one in three children in America are overweight or obese; millions willace chronic obesity-related health problems such as diabetes, heart disease,cancer, and asthma. Obesity is estimated to cause more than 100,000 deathsper year in the United States.

    Tese health problems will have a signicant impact on local governmentand the community at-large, straining health and emergency services andincreasing the number o people who are disabled and dependent on publicassistance. For obese children, the chance o becoming an obese adult is atleast twice as high as the risk or non-obese children1 and each year, obeseadults incur an estimated $1,4292 more in medical expenses than their non-obese peers.

    1 Serdula, MK, Ivery, D, Coates, RJ, Freedman, DS, Williamson, DF, and Byers, . (1993), Do obese childrenbecome obese adults? A review o the literature. Preventative Medicine, 2: 467-477. http://1.usa.gov/mR1zx2

    2 Center or Disease Control Vital Signs Report: State-Specic Obesity Prevalence Among Adults - UnitedStates. (2009)

    Service-learning is an approach that

    integrates meaningul service to thecommunity with intentional learning. LetsMove, Lets Learn teaches youth abouthealthy liestyle choices while empoweringthem to lead service projects with theirpeers, putting young people at the oreronto encouraging healthy eating habits andactive liestyles. By supporting youthto participate in this initiative, mayorschannel the energy o young people intoactivities that can help increase the amounto time spent exercising or the amounto ruits and vegetables consumed whileteaching the benets o healthy liestyles

    ultimately helping these youth adopt long-term behaviors that can counterchildhood obesity.

    Let s Move , Let s

    Learn is a teach ing

    and learn ing serv ice

    strategy in wh ich

    the mayor s of f ice

    he lps ch i ldren learn

    hea l thy eat ing and

    exerc ise behav iors

    through hea l th -

    focused serv ice -

    learn ing act i v i t ies .

    BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND

    LETS MOVE, LETS LEARN

    BACKGROUND

    LETS MOVE, LETS LEARN

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    4/16

    M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A L T H

    3

    Besides the staggering costs obesity places on our health care system, italso hinders children rom becoming active and participating members osociety. For example, overweight and obese children are oten targets oearly and systematic social discrimination.3 Te psychological stress o socialstigmatization can cause low sel-esteem that hinders academic and socialunctioning, and persists into adulthood.

    Mayors, as elected leaders, can help address the obesity crisis locally. Using theirbully pulpit to raise the visibility o health and nutrition in their communitiesand leveraging interest generated by the White Houses Lets Move! campaign,mayors can mobilize educators and youth-serving organizations to promoteLets Move, Lets Learn projects designed to measurably improve youthsknowledge o healthy eating and exercise habits. By mixing classroom andexperiential learning with a challenge to develop community projects aimedat addressing childhood obesity, mayors engage those o primary concern young people themselves in leading the campaign to change unhealthypatterns o behavior and help ght childhood obesity over the long-term.

    3 Strauss, MD and Pollack, H. (2003), Social marginalization o overweight children. Pediatrics and AdolescentMedicine, 157: 746-752. http://bit.ly/oJj8ZX

    2

    Mayors oce engages schools or youth-serving organizations toserve as partners and create a plan or developing and implementing

    the service-learning initiative. As part o this, the mayors oce desig-nates a lead partner to direct adult volunteer and partner coordination,curriculum development, and student engagement.

    1Mayors oce commits to raising the visibility o health and childhoodobesity in the community, determines the target demographic youth orthe initiative (e.g., elementary school students), and disseminates inorma-tion about Lets Move, Lets Learn to create community interest.

    (Backgroundcontinued)

    REQUIRED ELEMENTSREQUIRED ELEMENTSREQUIRED ELEMENTS

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    5/16

    I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A

    3Te lead partner develops the curriculum or the program usingthe IPARD/C model (investigation, preparation and planning,action, refection, demonstration and celebration), a tested method orengaging students in service learning. Te curriculum should clearly

    spell out the teaching, learning, and service goals o the initiative. YouthService America recommends that partners plan or the entire programto take about 40 cumulative hours spread across a semester.

    6

    Mayors oce tracks and reports impact metrics or the initiative.

    Required metrics include: Number o students participating in the program Participating youths understanding o healthy ood and

    liestyles, assessed via survey Number o active living and healthy eating service-learning

    projects completed Number o young people served by the projects Number o hours o exercise generated by each project Reported increase in amount o ruits and vegetables

    consumed by young people targeted by each project

    Depending on the type and duration o the service-learning projects, italso may be appropriate to track:

    Participating youths change in BMI or body at percentageater completing service-learning projects that are a semesteror longer

    Number o adults serving as volunteers in developing orexecuting service-learning projects

    (requiredelementscontinued)

    5Mayors oce works with partners to host a Lets Move, Lets Learnair (similar in structure to a science air) to help students publicizetheir projects and report their results to the community, as well as recog-nize partners and volunteers.

    4o advance the service component o the program, adults workwith youth to develop and implement service projects related toobesity and healthy liestyles. Trough their projects, youth will try toincrease the number o hours children spend exercising each week or the

    amount o ruits and vegetables they consume in their daily diet.

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    6/16

    M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H e a l t h

    5

    Conduct an initial orientation meeting or prospective partners, which include local schoolsand youth-serving community organizations. Te orientation meeting is an opportunityor mayors to:

    Introduce prospective partners to the service and learning goals o the initiative; Outline and clariy to participants the required elements o the program; Explain impact metrics; Create a plan or partners to lead participating students in developing the

    service-learning content and integrate the initiative into relevant courseworkor ater-school programming that builds youth knowledge about nutrition,tness, and healthy liestyles;

    Encourage partners to identiy adult volunteers to assist the youth indeveloping their projects (volunteers may be teachers, community volunteers,older students, or sta in youth programs); and

    Introduce prospective partners to resources or projects such as grants rom Youth Service America4 or the Corporation or National and CommunityService, i available.12

    Trough Lets Move, Lets Learn, students will be supported by schoolteachers, sta atyouth-serving organizations, or adult volunteers to accomplish the dual learning and serviceimpact goals o the initiative. Tese goals are to:

    Develop service-learning projects that will increase students knowledge andunderstanding o healthy liestyles; and

    Increase exercise or the amount o ruits and/or vegetables young peopleconsume.

    Te mayors oce works with its partners to design the overall service-learning program tomeet the stated goals. In accordance with the National Youth Leadership Councils K-12Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice,5 youth should play a central role in planningand executing their service projects. However, adults leading the Lets Move, Lets Learninitiative should determine the broad parameters o the program - including the timeline,

    4 http://ysa.org/grants

    5 National Youth Leadership Councils K-12 Service-Learning Standards or Quality Practice (2008)http://bit.ly/ss83k8

    engagingpartners

    EXECUTINGLETS MOVE, LETS LEARN

    EXECUTINGLETS MOVE, LETS LEARN

    designingtheprogram

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    7/16

    I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H e a

    duration and intensity, overall curriculum, and role o outside partnerships beore students are engaged. As recommended by Youth Service America, the most

    impactul service-learning programs run or at least 40 cumulative hours spread acrossconcentrated blocks o time throughout a semester. (See the Resources section or bestpractices in service learning.)

    Once the timeline and duration are established, the lead partner identies specictopics on which the curriculum will ocus. For example, i it is a school-based program,it will be important to determine what parts o the semesters curriculum the projects

    will relate to. I it is an ater-school program, it can help to designate a specic obesity-related educational topic o interest. o ully integrate service and intentional learning

    into program design, the teaching and learning component should be robust andplanned in advance. For example, instructors should nd creative ways to connectthe structured lessons with real world experiences (e.g., connecting instruction onthe benets o healthy diets to students helping their peers examine the nutritionalvalue o their daily lunches and make healthier choices). Te major components o thecurriculum can be ound in the next section.

    Although the specic programs may vary rom city to city, all Lets Move, LetsLearn curricula and related activities should ollow the IPARD/C model6 investigation, preparation and planning, action, refection, and demonstrationand celebration which is generally recognized as an eective method o engagingstudents in meaningul service learning.1As part o the larger program, studentsshould be provided with a deadline or completing their service projects, suggesteddocumentation and presentation ormats, and any other locally determinedrequirements.

    Step 1: InvestigationStudents begin by examining childhood obesity in their community tounderstand why this issue is important. In addition to structured lessonsled by adults, students may read news articles, watch media reports, or seekother reputable sources o inormation to make sure they have an adequatecomprehension o childhood obesity in their community.

    6 Youth Service Americas First Responders: Youth addressing childhood obesity through service-learning (2010)

    http://bit.ly/qO6oH3

    (designingtheprogramcontinued)

    executingtheservice-learningcurriculum

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    8/16

    M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H e a l t h

    As an additional component o their research, students should explore examples owhat healthy living looks like in their community (e.g., this could include examiningthe nutritional value o a school lunch or counting the number o students involvedin school sports). While theyre gathering inormation, students should be encouraged

    to refect on how healthy living is relevant to them as individuals (e.g., how their dietimpacts their health or how doing their avorite physical activities improves their health).

    Step 2: Preparation and PlanningAter a thorough investigation period, students start to determine what their service-learning project will be, ideally by working in teams. As part o this, they set short-termgoals (e.g., create a walk-to-school-together club) and long-term goals (e.g., the desiredchanges, over time, in BMI or body at percentage o walking club participants) thatthey would like to achieve. Tey also identiy what roles community members and

    potential partner organizations can play to help them.

    Once students have aligned on goals, they are supported by adult project leaders (e.g.,teachers, external partners, or adult volunteers) in creating a plan and timeline orimplementation including a plan to monitor progress against stated goals. Whilebeginner projects can be completed in about two weeks, more advanced projects maytake several weeks or months.7 Research has shown that the duration o service-learningprojects is positively correlated with achieving the desired teaching and experientialoutcomes.8 As mentioned, projects should be spread across a semester, with the whole

    program running at least 40 hours to most aect student liestyle changes, according toYouth Service America.12

    Examples o youth-led service projects that increase exercise or consumption o healthyood are:

    Starting an ater-school exercise club Creating a healthy snack station in schools Working with community gardens to grow vegetables that children can eat Cleaning or repairing a walking or hiking trail, and engaging peers to use it Cleaning or repairing an athletic eld or play space, and organizing peers to use

    it Organizing a local armers market Starting a school or community garden Organizing an intramural sports team or tournament Organizing a healthy eating seminar Organizing a personal training/tness seminar

    7 Dary, ., Prueter, B., Grinde, J., Grobschmidt, R., Evers, . (2010) High quality instruction that transorms: A guide to implement-ing quality academic service-learning. http://1.usa.gov/p1p9ON8 Billig, S. H., Root, S., & Jesse, D. (2005). Te relationship between quality indicators o service-learning and student outcomes:

    esting proessional wisdom. In S. Root, J. Callahan, & S. H. Billig (Eds.), Advances in service-learning research: Vol. 5. Improvingservice-learning practice: Research on models to enhance impacts (pp. 97115). Greenwich, C: Inormation Age.7

    (executingtheservice-learningprogramcontinued)

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    9/16

    Step 3: ActionDuring this stage students are supported in implementing their projects using the planand timeline they created. While the individual projects may dier, it is importantto establish a timeline or all projects rom start to nish to ensure that students

    complete all stages o the IPARD/C process. Students also document their activities(e.g., by submitting press releases to local elected ocials or taking photographs oactions and recording quotes rom activity participants).

    Step 4: RefectionTroughout the investigation, planning, and action phases, students should berefecting on their progress and how their project relates to them, their community,and their uture. Refection exercises can be completed as a group or individually;either way helps students internalize the inormation learned during and ater their

    service-learning projects.

    Ater all service projects have concluded, students undertake a more expansiverefection period during which they evaluate their projects against the short- andlong-term goals they determined at the outset. Adult project leaders guide studentsto think objectively about their service projects and examine what went well,

    what could be improved, and what the broader impact o their service projectsare or themselves and their community. (For examples o questions or studentsto consider, see the Youth Service America First Responders toolkit listed in the

    Resources section.)

    Step 5: Demonstration and Celebration: Sharing results at a Lets Move, LetsLearn Fair

    Projects are presented at a Lets Move, Lets Learn Fair hosted by the mayors oceand local partners. Te air could take place at City Hall, a school, a higher educationinstitution, or a community organization. Te air, similar to a science air, eaturesdisplays prepared by the students to show the design o their projects, the ways thatthe projects increase healthy liestyles, and the results the students achieved. Parents,

    other students, and members o the community are invited to view the air; thishelps broaden the potential impact o the initiative by educating additional people.

    A local sponsor may provide prizes or the projects that achieve the greatest impact,with awards potentially presented by the mayor. Overall results using the requiredmetrics can be displayed on a chart at the air, highlighting the number o hourso exercise generated by all projects and the number o ruit and vegetable servingsconsumed by participants during the projects.

    (executingtheservice-learningprogramcontinued)

    I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    10/16

    M P A C T A R E A : N e i g h b o r h o o d r e v i t a l i z a t i o nM P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A L T H

    9

    Collecting data and reporting on the impact o each Lets Move, Lets Learnproject is critical. Te mayors oce or its designated partners are tasked withcollecting and reporting the ollowing metrics:

    Number o students participating in the program Participating youths understanding o healthy ood and liestyles,

    assessed via survey Number o active living and healthy eating service-learning projects

    completed Number o young people served by the projects Number o hours o exercise generated by each project Reported increase in amount o ruits and vegetables consumed by

    young people targeted by each project

    Depending on the type and duration o the service-learning projects, it also may

    be appropriate to track: Participating youths change in BMI or body at percentage ater

    completing service-learning projects that are a semester or longer Number o adults serving as volunteers in developing or executing

    service-learning projects

    measuring impact

    securingresourcesfor lets move, lets learnLets Move, Lets Learn is a compelling undraising opportunity or mayorsoces to solicit support rom oundations, nonprots, and corporations with a

    commitment to the city, youth engagement, healthy eating, or active liestyles.Additionally, grants may be made available to support service-learning initiatives.For example, Youth Service America provides a micro-grant program that oersunding or both student-led and educator-led projects supporting healthykids, healthy eating, and healthy exercise.

    Proposals or prospective unders should describe the opportunity or supportand how the unds will be used. Te elements o a typical proposal include:

    Description o Lets Move, Lets Learn Inormation on how this initiative will positively impact the city and the

    youth involved (e.g., number o youth reached by the projects, number ohours o exercise completed through the projects, increase in awareness andknowledge o healthy liestyles)

    Te amount o unding requested, proposed breakdown o grant(s), and howthose unds will be used

    Te metrics that will be collected to assess progress Inormation on Cities o Service (this is especially helpul or national

    organizations) Description o a recognition plan or the donor (this could include logos on

    t-shirts i your city is creating them, branding on your service website i you

    have one, a speaking role at the Lets Move, Lets Learn Fair, etc.)

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    11/16

    I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o

    recognizingandthankingvolunteers

    OPTIONAL ELEMENTSOPTIONAL ELEMENTS

    With assistance rom local leaders, the mayors oce can conduct or empoweryoung people to design and administer a survey to inquire about the eatinghabits and physical routines o their peers at the outset o the service-learningprogram. Working with youth leaders in the community, cities can thenencourage and support youth-led service-learning projects addressing theissues identied in the survey. Tis data can also serve as a baseline against

    which to track the progress and impact o the service-learning projects.

    Adult volunteers can play a variety o roles to support students participatingin the citys Lets Move, Lets Learn program. It may be most helpul to deployadults in tasks that students may not be able to do (e.g., driving or chaperoning)or in skilled labor positions (e.g., nurses to collect BMI measurements romstudents or volunteer physical trainers to lead tness classes or students).

    Te Lets Move, Lets Learn Fair should serve as the major venue or recognizingand thanking the youth who complete service-learning projects, as well as theadult volunteers who support them. Other options include seeking mediacoverage, eaturing projects on the mayors website, and providing youth with

    certicates signed by the mayor.

    incorporatingadultvolunteers

    YouthsurveYstoidentifYissues

    I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    12/16

    M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h

    9

    fitness awareness that makesa difference9

    cooking cluB10

    Fith graders in Oklahoma observed that many o their ellow elementaryschool students appeared to be out o shape. Working with their physicaleducation teacher, the students anonymously gathered the height and weighto their schoolmates to calculate the average BMI o students at their school.Tey ound that this average BMI was twice that o the state average. Testudents then devised a tness challenge that could be replicated by otherschools and worked with their local state representative to highlight theirrecommendations on improving child tness, which were eventually signedinto law.

    Special-needs students in Minnesota worked with other students in theirschool to explore the skills required to purchase groceries and prepare a healthy,nutritious meal. ogether they worked on reading labels and recipes andpracticed math skills so theyd be prepared to count their change ater groceryshopping. Following the students joint sessions, they planned their meals,created a grocery list, and bought the necessary items. Tey then presented theirmeal at a local senior centers multicultural celebration. Following the project,the students made gains in their reading, math, and communication skills, andshowed marked improvements in their ability to develop relationships with

    other students.

    _______

    9 National Youth Leadership Council Resource Library: Project example Fitness Awareness Tat Makes aDierence http://bit.ly/oMxAHm

    10 National Youth Leadership Council Resource Library: Project example Cooking Club http://bit.ly/mZJOir11

    SERVICE-LEARNINGIN ACTION

    SERVICE-LEARNINGIN ACTION

    Across the nation, youth are taking an active role in the movement or health-ier communities. Te National Youth Leadership Council, a national orga-nization that promotes service-learning to help redene the role o youth insociety, documents multiple youth-led service-learning projects that targetchildhood obesity.

    M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A L T H

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    13/16

    I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A

    RESOURCES

    Youth Service America (YSA) provides multiple resources to supportservice-learning projects. One YSA initiative that engages youth as grantees

    in combating childhood obesity is the UnitedHealth HEROES program,described online at http://www.ysa.org/HEROES. YSA also provides aree service learning guide that outlines the IPARD/C model and providessample refection questions or students11 called First Responders: Youth

    Addressing Childhood Obesity through Service-Learning, available onlineat http://www.ysa.org/resources.

    In 2009 the Corporation or National and Community Service released atoolkit to help guide the development o service-learning projects calledK-12 Service-Learning Project Planning oolkit, 2009 Updated Edition.Te toolkit can be ound online at http://bit.ly/gkb0Yq.

    Te Corporation or National and Community Services Learn and ServeAmerica initiative has created the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse a comprehensive, online, database o resources or, research on, andexamples o service-learning activities available online at http://www.servicelearning.org/.

    Te National Youth Leadership Council, a leading youth leadership andservice-learning organization, provides a number o resources to supportthe planning and development o service-learning projects including theK-12 Service-Learning Standards or Quality Practice, which can be oundat http://bit.ly/neF3R. o view the ull cadre o resources, visitwww.nylc.org/resources.

    Community gardens can be an excellent vehicle or teaching healthy eatinghabits. Te ollowing resources provide more inormation on startingcommunity gardens:

    Te American Community Gardening Association is a prime resourceor community garden advice:www.communitygarden.org/.

    Cooperative Extension System Oces are a national network oexperts that give advice and research-based expertise to agricultureproducers: http://1.usa.gov/cBHFPC.

    For an example o garden costs in San Francisco, see San FranciscoRecreation & Parks Start a Community Garden webpage: http://bit.ly/jAR39W.

    11 Youth Service America First Responders pg. 13-141

    RESOURCES

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    14/16

    M P A C T A R E A : N e i g h b o r h o o d r e v i t a l i z a t i o n

    Special ThanksSpecial Thanks

    Wed like to acknowledge the ollowing organizations:

    Te Corporation or National and Community Service or theirexpertise.

    Te National Youth Leadership Council or their expertise andexamples o impact.

    Youth Service America or their expertise and valuable lessonslearned.

    13

    M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A L T H

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    15/16

    I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o I M P A C T A R E A : E d u c a t i o n & Y o u t h , H E A

  • 8/2/2019 Lets Move Lets Learn

    16/16

    Service as a Strategy2 Canal ParkCambridge, Massachusetts 02141617-252-2702

    Service as a Strategy is a partnership between ServiceNation and Cities o

    Service, which equips mayors with high-impact service strategies to addresspressing local challenges, unded with generous support rom BloombergPhilanthropies.