Get It Do It and 4H Find A New Way to Get
Fit!
4-H Members and
PRIDE Get It -Do It Teams Find Their Way to Fitness through Geocaching!
PRIDE Get It- Do
It teams gathered this spring to explore new ways to encourage physical
activity for community health. See the full story and Watch the video
CLICK HERE.
KANSAS PRIDE COMMUNITIES ENGAGE YOUTH AND ADULTS IN "GET IT - DO IT!"
GRANTS TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY HEALTH
K-State
Research and Extension, Kansas PRIDE and Healthy Kansas (a project of
KDHE) worked with six Kansas PRIDE communities to encourage
adult-youth partnerships that improve personal and community health.
This is the second round of communities to successfully compete for
the $3,000.00 mini grant to support a locally identified project. In
addition to this a team of adults and youth from each community
participated in a 2 day training coordinated by k-State Research and
Extension faculty members on the national Health Rocks curriculum that
they can in turn use in their respective communities to encourage
physical activity for all. The Get It Do It! Projects for the
communities included:
·
Glasco-Walk Kansas for youth and adults
5 teams walked 3,900 miles!
·
Grinnell-You Fun Day where grade school
youth participated in active outdoor activities, used the walking
trail, and viewed educational displays
·
Spearville- Get It Do It Summer Fun in
the Park was a series of outdoor recreation opportunities for youth
throughout the summer. The celebration included octopus tag, water
sponges, and noodle whacking for all family members. This was
concluded with a healthy snack. Now the families can replicate this
activity at home or on their block!
·
Melvern-River Trail where educational
activities related to health and well being were designed and promoted
through the local grade school which is located next to the trail.
Many of the teachers are taking their students to the trail for
physical activity and environmental education.
·
Stafford- Nutrition education and
physical activity for youth all summer through a summer recreation
program coordinated by a college student majoring in this field.
·
Rossville-A sand volley ball court was
developed in the city park as well as promotion of volley ball teams
of all ages. In addition to this an electronic survey was developed
to find out who uses the park, what features are used, and what
additions are needed to enhance the use of the park for all residents
of Rossville.
In
addition to fostering adult-youth partnerships, the Get It - Do It!
communities are also required to partner with the local K-State
Research and Extension offices for educational program support. The
support provided by the local Extension unit this past year included
electronic survey assistance, nutrition educational programs,
nutrition education displays for youth fun day, coordination of the
Walk Kansas program. Upon completion of their projects,
communities become eligible to be designated as "Healthy Communities"
by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Building
on partnerships between PRIDE, youth organizations and local K- State
Research and Extension, these communities not only get-it-and-do-it (
get the money and do the project), they impact the wellness of those
living in their communities moving towards not only healthy people but
also healthy communities. This has a long term impact for all.
For the application information and requirements,
please CLICK HERE.
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Get It - Do It!
PRIDE Communities
Receive Funding for Improvements!
An innovative grant program is helping Kansas
communities offer a variety of healthy activities for all ages,
including a new walking trail, sand volleyball court and, yes, even
the hiring of a water aerobics instructor for a small city´s swimming
pool.
Each of the new projects is being funded with the help of a "Get it -
Do It!" grant, said Elaine Johannes, Kansas State University Research
and Extension youth development specialist who is working to make the
community-based health-promotion projects happen.
The grant awards of $3,000 to each community support collaborative
planning and implementation of community-based health-promotion
programs, Johannes said. The effort is sponsored by Kansas´ PRIDE
Program, a volunteer-driven community development program co-
administered by K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas
Department of Commerce, and Healthy Kansas, a health-promotion
initiative from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
In addition to funding, grant recipients attend workshops to learn
more about developing youth-and-adult partnerships to build health-
promoting activities into day-to-day life in their communities, said
Trudy Rice, K-State Research and Extension PRIDE representative.
The partnership of local PRIDE Programs, which already have a working
volunteer network, with Extension offices that know how to build
successful community collaborations helps to give communities a sound
foundation to build from, Rice said.
Combining the interests and efforts of youth and adults to form an
intergenerational action committee also lends support to the health-
promotion effort, said Johannes, who has been active in the statewide
push for walking and hiking trails in recent years.
"Grant projects vary, but share a common goal of encouraging youth and
adults within the community to create appealing activities that
contribute to a healthy lifestyle," Johannes said.
To read an overview of the PRIDE Communities and projects involved,
CLICK HERE.
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