Program Background: The Healthy Living Style Youth Advocacy program is a venture supported by the Prevention Institution and operated by the Light and Salt Association. Its primary objective is to advocate for healthy living among youth. Recognizing the importance of youth involvement, AYLUS Pearland volunteers were invited to contribute their expertise in program design, evaluation, and execution. In its second year, the program underwent modifications based on valuable feedback received from the previous year’s volunteers. As a result, the program expanded to a week-long intensive initiative, and college students were invited to lead the youth participants.
Day 5 Activities:
The day commenced with an insightful discussion led by graduate students Madison Brack and Kayley Neil, focusing on the concept of mindless eating. The volunteers explored the unconscious factors that often influence dietary choices and came with strategies to educate the community on this issue. Next, the volunteers prepared nutritious granola bites based on a healthy recipe. These treats were later shared with participants of the special needs day program during lunchtime, promoting healthy snacking habits and inclusivity within the community. They also educated the special needs campers on avoiding mindless eating habit.
In the afternoon session, Dr. Deng introduced the volunteers to "All of Us," an impactful health program centered around surveys aimed at collecting valuable data to improve healthcare. The volunteers diligently worked together to compile manuscripts for the program, they educated the clinic patients on the program. The manuscripts will also be utilized in future health fairs, effectively disseminating crucial information to a wider audience.
Later in the afternoon, the volunteers were assigned an engaging Community Outreach project. Their task was to identify a pressing issue plaguing Americans and develop an informative poster that not only describes the issue but also highlights a unique solution brainstormed by the students. By leveraging their creativity and critical thinking skills, the volunteers produced compelling posters and presentations that will serve as valuable resources at future health fairs, furthering the mission of promoting wellness within the community.
At the end of the one week program, the volunteers filled out a survey to evaluate the program and provided feedback on the improvement.
Reported by: Bruce Zhang
Volunteers who attended –
6 hours Friday: Cassie Lin, Aoyu Jin, Jordan, Abigail Zheng, Erica Gao, Junxi Ding, Bruce
Zhang, Iris Yang, Jiaqi Ren, Daniel Sun, Fiona Byrd, Garbo Wood, Andrew Du, Hannah Zhou,
Jacinta Huang, Hosanna Spencer, Ashley Zhuang and Katlyn Zhuang
