Mission
The 4-H GROW HEALTHY KIDS CLUB is an initiative to improve and protect the health and well being of children and teens in Greenville County. It will be accomplished through schools children planting, maintaining, and harvesting produce in an organic garden, and then learning to prepare the foods they have grown. In addition to horticultural experiences, students will engage in hands on environmental science activities that teach community leadership, life skills, and healthy nutrition.
The project will be implemented at Greenville public schools and carried out by a coordinator and a group of volunteers under the guidance of master gardeners. The primary motivation behind this project is to introduce kids to natural and sustainable agriculture and influence them on healthier lifestyle choices. One such choice is eating foods grown organically. These foods enhance the health of the individual and the world we live in because they are grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and genetically modified seeds.
In response to the poor nutritional status of today’s youth, the 4-H GROW HEALTHY KIDS CLUB aims to help kids learn good nutrition and environmental habits by way of engaging them in 4-H club activities that are educational and fun. These children will participate in 4 - H groups of approximately 15-20 participants at school locations but after school hours. Each school is expected to have an outdoor space to grow a vegetable organic garden of approximately 200 sq.ft. The club’s activities will be organized under the 4-H youth development program of South Carolina and volunteer training and background checking as well as children’s insurance will be provided. The lessons follow the teachings of established programs such as the Junior Master Gardener and the Health and Nutrition from the Garden created by the Texas Cooperative Extension Service and the Texas A & M University.
The 4-H GROW HEALTHY KIDS CLUB will be implemented in collaboration with the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service, local businesses and through donations. Ideally the collaborative efforts of this program will have a great impact on the Greenville community by effectively helping to improve children’s poor eating habits, to correct the chronic problem of childhood obesity and diabetes and to encourage children to protect the environment and be good stewards of the Earth.
Goals
The 4-H GROW HEALTHY KIDS CLUB was created with several goals in mind:
• To educate children on the benefits of eating nutritious, organic whole foods
• To teach students that food production and natural resources are interdependent
• To raise their awareness of sustainable practices and environmental stewardship
• To enhance their skills in problem solving, critical thinking, decision making and creativity through construction and maintenance of an organic garden.
These goals will be measured by gathering feedback regarding behavioral and academic improvements from schoolteachers, children, and their parents. The feedback methods will include surveys, one on one conversations, and activity assessments. At the beginning of the program, a survey of current eating habits will be applied to the students and compared to changes in food choices at the end of the program to measure improvement in their nutrition status. In addition, the project will work closely with teachers to evaluate improvement in academic achievement correlated to healthier eating habits and better discipline/teamwork though community garden and group activities.
Children’s Health
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, organophosphate (OP) pesticides are now found in the blood of 95% of Americans tested. OPs account for half of the insecticides used in the U. S. crops. OP levels are twice as high in blood samples taken from children than in adults, and the exposure of these chemicals among children has been linked to hyperactivity, behavior disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and motor dysfunction. Besides the negative impact of pesticides in children’s health and well being, there is striking evidence that the percentage of obese and ill children in America today has more than doubled since 1970. Processed foods, favored by modern society for their convenience, not only contribute to obesity and diabetes, but also contain additives, preservatives, and are tainted with herbicide and pesticide residues that are believed to increase the risk for cancer and metabolic imbalances. Most kids eat three or more processed snacks daily, of which the majority is high in sugar, sodium, and detrimental trans-fats. In addition, 51% of children and adolescents eat less than one serving a day of fresh fruit and 29% eat less than one serving a day of vegetables that are not fried (RDA suggests 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily).
Conclusion
When children learn about sustainable living and healthy nutrition they also learn to take responsibility for their health and learn how their actions impact the environment. If children learn to care about the environment today, it will in turn take care of them tomorrow. The 4-H GROW HEALTHY KIDS CLUB does not duplicate any existing program offered in the Greenville community. This is an unique out-reach community program because it addresses the health concerns of school age children through hands on learning activities regarding nutrition and environmental education.
