Avoid Summer Slump: Encouraging Youth to Live Active

  • MONDAY MAY 18, 2020 5:30 - 7:00 PM
  • SOUTH BRANCH LIBRARY MEETING ROOM
  • 1736 Broadway St, Toledo, OH 43609
  • COST: FREE

This interactive workshop is for program leaders, teachers, parents, and volunteers who work with youth of all ages. Participants will learn about promoting a healthy lifestyle and easy group games that encourage youth to engage in physical activity. Come ready to play! Attendees will receive a code to download the Summer Youth Activity Guide from OSU Extension in order to print their own copy.

RSVP Here: Workshop Registration

About:

Youth attendance is higher at Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) meals when sites offer educational programming. Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County plays a valuable role in the community offering education to youth, especially on topics of nutrition and physical activity through SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program).  In addition to the high-quality nutrition education, FCS, AgNR, CD and 4-H can contribute to direct education to the youth as well as partner within the Extension office to create and train adult leaders on youth activities.

In 2019, the OSU Extension Lucas County staff created a Summer Food Service Program Educational Activities Guide and offered an adult training session to teach and support community workers who serve the youth meals. The immediate goal was to create a resource to encourage health and wellness activities for youth at summer food service sites and to train the adults who serve the meals. The long-term goal is to address hunger issues in the county, positively impact the overall health of the youth in the community and offer a positive academic transition from summer break into the start of the next school year. The addition of educational activities will keep a higher attendance level for youth throughout the summer at the summer meal sites.

Coming Soon - Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Youth Activity Guide 

Additional Resources:

  • Brain Breaks - information and handout
  • "Congratulations! You Are a Role Model" Live Smart Ohio Blog Post 
  • Interested in using the guide in your county? Please contact us with any questions about the guide or the training session for summer program staff (on how to use the guide). The entire OSU Extension, Lucas County staff contributed to the activity guide. The two contacts for more information are Suzanne Saggese or Patrice Powers-Barker.   

Valuable Websites to Visit:

Feeding America, Summer Food Service Program https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/hunger-relief-programs/summer-food-service-program

Food Research & Action Center, Summer Nutrition Programs http://frac.org/programs/summer-nutrition-programs

No Kid Hungry, Center for Best Practices, Summer Meals http://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/programs/summer-meals

Site Supervisors Guide, Summer Food Service Program (2017). USDA.  https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/sfsp/SFSP-Supervisor%20Guide%202017_RELEASE.pdf

Share our Strength website https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/programs/summer-meals/support-program-excellence

Summer Meals Toolkit, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-meals-toolkit

Youth Activities Guide Inspired by and Adapted from:

References

Arnold, M., Gifford, L., Deen, M., and Edwards, J. (Eds.) (2015). YA4-H! Youth Advocates for Health Curriculum – Teens as Teachers. Oregon State University Public Health Extension: Corvallis, OR.

Guion, L. (1998). Partnerships for progress: Summer youth nutrition programs. 36:6IAW4. Retrieved from https://joe.org/joe/1998december/iw4.php

Harder, A. & Zelaya, P. (2017). Identifying assets associated with quality extension programming at the local level. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension. 5:3 Retrieved from https://www.jhseonline.com/current-issue-3

Hopkins L.C., Penicka C., Evich C., Jones, B., and Gunther, C. (2018). Project SWEAT (Summer Weight and Environmental Assessment Trial): Study protocol of an observational study using a multistate, prospective design that examines the weight gain trajectory among a racially and ethnically diverse convenience sample of economically disadvantaged school-age children. BMJ Open. Retrieved from https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/8/8/e021168.full.pdf

Lovett, K., Johnson, B., Caskey, M., Pleasants, C., and Hurtado, G., (2014). The use of energizers to reinforce nutrition concepts and encourage physical activity. Journal of Extension. 52(4) 4TOT9 https://joe.org/joe/2014august/tt9.php

Nutrition guide: Summer food service program. (2018). USDA. Retrieved from https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/sfsp/USDA_SFSP_NutritionGuide.pdf

Site Supervisors Guide, Summer Food Service Program (2017). USDA.  https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/sfsp/SFSP-Supervisor%20Guide%202017_RELEASE.pdf

Smith, M., Meehan, C., Enfield, R., George, J., & Young, J. (2004). Improving County-Based Science Programs: Bringing Out the Science Teacher in Your Volunteer Leaders. 42:6FEA4. Retrieved from https://joe.org/joe/2004december/a5.php

Summer Nutrition Program Social Impact Analysis. 2015. Deloitte Development LLC, Share Our Strength. Retrieved from http://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/sites/default/files/download-resource/Summer%20Nutrition%20Program%20Social%20Impact%20Analysis.pdf

Youth Engagement Toolkit (2017). Retrieved from http://nkh-toolkit.squarespace.com/