Get Movin'!
By: NImo
What is in the month of May? Well, there's Cinco de Mayo, the occasional birthdays, Asthma & Allergy Awareness Month, Bike to Work/ School Day, and . . . well . . . you get the idea!
Last month signified awareness; awareness of not only Asthma & Allergy Awareness Month, but, I bet, some of you didn't know that it was National Fitness Month.
Enter a program called Movin' on the Coast. Movin' on the Coast is a sponsored program where citizens become aware of the fact that you can be physically active while having fun at the same time! Movin' on the Coast is sponsored by Seton Coastside and Half Moon Bay Recreation Division.
How did this program start? What's the history behind it? Movin' on the Coast started in the year 2002. A Health and Quality of Life study was done in San Mateo County. The results? Well, it determined that the Coastside was not that much healthier than other cities throughout San Mateo County.
Determined to fix this problem and decrease the ever increasing rate of childhood obesity, hospital providers teamed up with community members and formed Movin' on the Coast.
The purpose of Movin' on the Coast? To offer free, low-cost, and fun classes! In May 2003, Movin' on the Coast began Fitness Day; in relation to National Fitness Month. That had a great outcome, but that wasn't enough. Citizens wanted more! The following year, Movin' on the Coast hosted fitness week. But Movin' on the Coast hit a hurdle with the fitness week; there wasn't enough time! When people realized what classes they wanted to take, it was too late. National fitness week had already passed by!
Thus came NATIONAL FITNESS MONTH! Still the same goals, dreams, and everything. People had enough time to decide what classes they wanted to take and you know what was even better? They could STILL have FUN working out!
Now that the month of May has ended, what is Movin' on the Coast doing now? If you were led to believe that Movin' on the Coast was only for one month, think again! Movin' on the Coast is looking for volunteers to help out with monthly events. What are you waiting for? Go out there and have fun!
For more information:
Email: CherylSinclair@dochs.org
Take A Hike!
By Nimo
Take a hike conjures up the negative image of someone telling you to get lost, or at least in my opinion, that's what it conjures up. What if I told you that take a hike is referring you to get lost but in a good way? Would you believe it?
San Mateo County, welcome to Take A Hike 2010! This program encourages you and many others to get physically active by going out and discovering the beautiful county parks that are surrounding you! For all you first timers, such as myself, just imagine the wonderful scenery that you will be surrounded by! I mean, who knew that we had such imagery in our own backyard? Or just a few miles away?
The first 2010 hike was held in April. This hike had such an excellent turnout and according to their May 8th press release, "enthusiastic walkers braved the chilly winds to hike Crystal Springs Regional Trail. Families were greeted by cheerful volunteers who handed out t-shirts and other giveaways." This program is sponsored by San Mateo County, Allied West, Blue Shield of California, Comcast, Kaiser Permanente, Mills-Peninsula Health Services, Recology, San Mateo Credit Union and San Mateo County Parks Foundation.
Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson and the Parks Department spearheaded this effort to encourage families to get moving in our local parks. This effort coincides with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign. "The Let's Move! campaign advocates that children should be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day to grow up to have a healthy weight." (Take A Hike May 8th press release)
This event is for you if:
You want to increase your fitness level and somehow didn't get around to it
You find yourself wanting to spend more time with your family
or
IF you already spotted, and have been using, the trail and want to know the history behind the trail
On May 8th, Take A Hike participants explored Pillar Point Bluff.
San Mateo County, I urge you to grab this opportunity and search for a trail near you! For this event, make sure to bring water, dress in layers and comfortable shoes. But don't stop right after your first hike! There's more to come! Visit www.smcoparks.org/takeahike to look at scheduled hikes for each month this year. The next hike will be on June 19th at Huddart County Park.
Silent Giant
By Nimo
It's Bruce!!!
The shrill, high note of the whistle echoed throughout the gym. Players of different heights and ethnicity rushed to the 6 foot 3 inch figure. As the players surround him, the coach of 49er's Academy devised a plan - block the offense to the point where they can't go any further with the ball. Five players, adorned in white jerseys with blue letters, went on the court and prepared to go against the Eastside Wildcats. One of the players stepped out to pass the ball in and throws the ball to number one, Manu. Manu dribbles the ball down the court throwing it to the available post on the left side. The post goes for it, but misses! 49er's takes possession of the ball and it's being handed off to their very own Malcolm. He takes a shot at the three point line as breaths are being held, shouts chanted, and it seemed like everything slowed down and it's . . . in there! Eastside quickly takes it out, passes it in, and attempts to throw it to another one of their players, but the ball has been intercepted by the 49er's Academy! Seven seconds left on the clock and point guard Ricardo holds the ball, dribbling and swishing back and forth and the countdown begins -- 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1. The loud blare of the horn signaled the end of the game. The 49er's Academy overcame the Eastside Wildcats by 34 to 32. What made this happen? Ladies and gentlemen of San Mateo County, the Mid-Peninsula, and the world, allow me to formally introduce you to Bruce Savusa!
Bruce is widely known around the small city of East Palo Alto not only for his musical talents, but also for his excellent coaching skills. But what makes Bruce so unique? According to the after-school coordinator at 49er's Academy, it's his ability to relate to the youth. "Bruce is able to get down to the youth's level and he understands where they're coming from."
Bruce enjoys being a coach because he loves sports and he loves working with youth. His coaching style consists of life lessons embedded into the formula of the play. He explained that, "Kids need to have something to do after school so they don't get in trouble." Sports keep youth occupied and off the streets. He also believes that youth sports are important because it teaches the kids discipline, to stay positive, to know about consequences, and it allows them to have a first hand experience of playing in a team. Bruce explains, "because when they mess-up, they learn that there are consequences for everything."
Bruce has been a coach at Costaño, formerly known as 49er's Academy, for eight years. He coaches football, volleyball and basketball. I asked three of his players why they like Bruce as a coach. Eight-grader Lupe jokingly said, "Because he's Samoan" but added that he has known Bruce all of his life and he has been there for him. Seventh-grader Malcolm likes Bruce as a coach because of his coaching style and how he formulates the plays, while eight-grader Saadiqah said, "because he makes practice easier and fun." She also pointed out that Bruce takes the time to point out their mistakes to help them get better. All the students said that Bruce is a good coach because he is smart, laid-back, cool, a good basketball player, and he knows what he's doing. Malcolm recommended that Bruce should continue coaching . . . and he's doing just that! Bruce is coaching the girl's soccer team at 49er's Academy. Keep your eyes averted to the soccer field and listen to the motto that Bruces always tells his players: "Play hard and have fun!"
GEL Program
By Nimo
When people hear the word gel, instantly what comes to mind is the gooey hair product that either holds your hair down or makes your hair stick up in inexplicable lengths. Never had I imagined that GEL could be more than the colorful gooey hair product. To all the females of San Mateo County, I introduce to you the GEL Program!
GEL stands for Girls Embracing Life. Do you ever find that you put yourself down, or compare yourself to other girls, or go on ever-changing diets that end in the same way? Then you’re in the perfect spot. The GEL Program is here to teach girls about having confidence in themselves, eating right and well, embracing life! The GEL Program is found at your local high schools: Sequoia, Woodside and Redwood.
Questions came to mind when I first heard of this program - What is it? What do they do? What will I get out of this program? Why is this program worth my time? In due time my questions were soon to be answered.
The GEL Program is a "FREE group for young women who want to lead a healthier and more active lifestyle." This is a program that encourages girls to feel energetic, good and confident about themselves, to be in shape, bold, strong and proud. I would, for once, want to feel good about myself without having to worry if something is "off" about the way I look. But before I could walk down the street and strut my stuff, I need to learn exactly how to do that.
The GEL Program talks about nutrition, exercise, women's health, stress management, self-esteem and MORE! The program runs for 11 weeks and the girls that participate in this program do a series of different activities: yoga, dance, walks, a game of basketball, anything that provides the girls with energy! Now everyone knows that if there's fun around, there's also work to be done. The girls not only engage in adrenaline pumping activities, but the program also provide healthy meals and gifts to keep you healthy and motivated. The program meets every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 - 4:45 P.M. at F-17 in Woodside High School. Below is a picture of GEL participants making yummy pizza with lots of veggies!
I was honored to participate in the GEL Program at Woodside High School. On that day, we learned that “crash diets” can decrease muscle mass. (Girls, do NOT be afraid to eat carbs! Carbs are good!) The definition of a “crash diet” is a diet that fails to help you. When the person realizes that the diet didn’t work, they go on a binge and try another diet and the cycle starts all over again. But before learning about “crash diets,” we did an exercise where if something applies to you, you stand-up. For example, if you have ever called yourself fat, then you stand up. Are you comfortable with your body? Do you think people judge you? While participating in this warm-up, I noticed that 2 out of the 6 females were completely confident in their answers while the rest of us didn't know what the answer was or stood up half-way. After learning about "crash diets," we went outside and played a game of ultimate frisbee. The participants ended the day by writing in their journals.
So, why should you join the GEL Program? According to participants of Woodside's GEL Program, "It's fun, you get to meet new people and you do yoga. You also learn about losing muscle mass, eating better, exercising a lot, drinking water consistently and learning that water is much better than soda." Naomi, lead of the GEL Program at Woodside High School, stated, "Learning about health, no matter what stage, is important."
That day I had a blast getting to know the girls and learning about myself. Am I confident? Not quite - maybe I can attend a couple more of the GEL meetings! If this isn't proof enough for you, then I don't know what is. You've seen the testimonials of the participants at Woodside. So, come on. Don't be afraid. Step up, be confident and EMBRACE LIFE!
You Too Can Grow Your Very Own Garden!
By Naftali
About two years ago, I began what would be a weeklong search for an old bookshelf. Within about five days, I found myself assisting in loading a 6-foot by 4-foot book shelf onto the top of our family van. This was the very beginning of my adventures in gardening, and little did I know that that bookshelf would inevitably change the focus of my life. Later that day, I filled the bookshelf with soil and planted a few herb plants and a cucumber plant given to me by a friend. That one bookshelf is now among over 6 other beds of its size, all of which are full of herbs and vegetables. This is my home garden, the spark in the fire, so to speak, which has lead to me into the world of agriculture and food related issues.
Before starting my garden, my only experience growing food was a total of 12 hours of work helping to care for the garden at Ocean Shore School in Pacifica. Under the guidance of one Ocean Shore parent, I learned the basics of growing and caring for food plants. Prior to starting my garden, I read a few books, all of which gave me ideas about what to do. In the end however, it has all been trial and error with a little help from the glorious thing that is Google. That is one of the things I have come to love about gardening, it can all be a big experiment and all you need is some free space and a few dollars to buy seeds. In addition to that, you get to eat all sorts of really tasty fresh vegetables and fruits that taste so much better grown in your backyard. All of this is what made me so interested in gardening and would ultimately lead me to a place called Pie Ranch.
Right here in our very own county, just south of Pescadero, is a farm called Pie Ranch. Pie Ranch's goal is to teach the community about sustainable agriculture and food system education. Pie Ranch primarily focuses on working with high school students from urban and suburban areas around San Francisco. Each year, a high school in Pacifica takes a group of 20 or so students down to Pie Ranch for a week to immerse the students in life on the farm. Lead by one teacher, the students prepare all meals as well as do day-to-day farm work activities over the course of the week. Upon reading the description of the trip, I decided to go. My first week at Pie Ranch - for I have since returned personally - was very motivational and shed light on a world I had never really thought of before, the world of farming.
To make a very long story short, my first trip to Pie Ranch got me interested not only in growing food, as I was in my home garden, but also in the big picture: sustainable agriculture and the food system as a whole. As I became increasingly involved in Pie Ranch, I was presented with the opportunity to travel to Maine with two other Pie Ranch youth to attend the 2009 Rooted in Community (RIC) conference. At RIC, I enjoyed numerous youth-led workshops and participated in trips to local farms and gardens in Maine and Massachusetts. My experiences at RIC were very inspirational and have helped me to take matters into my own hands and work to improve our very flawed agricultural and food system at a very small and local level.
I, like thousands of other Americans, am working to start a community garden. In an era of fast and processed food, it is crucial we look away from the future and resort to the past in search of a solution to our food problems. For hundreds of years, America's food was grown by small, family owned farms and in recent years, has been turned into a corporate industry, controlled by a handful of rich CEOs who don't seem to care much about the health or well-being of consumers but focus more on profit. Community gardens both provide good food to community members and show the commun
ity what it takes to produce food. My big project right now is working with students, administration and faculty at a local high school in Pacifica to start a school/community garden.
Though the project is still in the developmental stages, I am confident that the motivation of my fellow students and faculty will push this project to completion. The hope is that the concept of "knowledge is power" will inspire people who see this garden to put in even one small vegetable patch at their house and continue the movement to a healthier and a more sustainable food system. I am doing my part and I ask all of you who read this article to do yours to. Whether it is volunteering in an existing community garden, starting a home garden or anything else, we can all do our part to improve the flawed system, become a bit healthier and get some tasty food all at the same time.
Get Healthy San Mateo County Task Force
By Nimo
Oh no! What is this specimen that has plagued our childrens' bodies? This specimen, ladies and gentlemen, is known as childhood obesity. -gasp- Childhood obesity has reached an alarmingly high rate. Studies by the CDC - (Centers for Disease Control) show that childhood obesity has risen by 16% in people ranging from the ages of 6-19 years old. We are in times of need, but where can we find a superhero that can help us with this rising problem?
Ladies and gentlemen, this is exactly why the Get Healthy San Mateo County (GHSMC) Task Force was created. The mission of the GHSMC Task Force is, “to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to develop strategies that will reduce and prevent obesity and other health risks of unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity among all children in San Mateo County." We can change these statistics with the help of the GHSMC Task Force.
In May of 2004, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the San Mateo County Health System got together at the Healthy Communities Summit in order to address local issues affecting our County. The issue of childhood obesity was one of the issues the Summit participants felt needed to be treated with immediate attention. As a result, the GHSMC Task Force was created! A year well spent and BOOM! The GHSMC Task Force developed the Blueprint for Prevention of Childhood Obesity: A Call to Action. This document is used as a guiding tool by community members and leaders in San Mateo County to ensure youth are healthy.
Now that we’ve found our superhero, how can youth get involved with the GHSMC Task Force? Are you motivated to make an impact on your community and crea
te a better, healthier community — not only for yourself, but also for generations after you? How does this benefit you as a youth?
For starters, you could go and check out their youth website (http://www.yspacesmc.org/). There you will find tips, fun filled healthy facts, a blog, and much more! Remember this is a website for you — the youth. So you can be part of creating the stories, videos, and blogs you see on the site.
Do you have something to say about health and fitness? Become a blogger or submit a video! Feel free to blog about something that is bothering you or the community that you love and live in!
Do you know of a story about how someone is trying to make positive changes for their community? Write a top story!
You can also become a member of the YSpaceSMC.org Leadership Team and help shape the policies and content for the website.
Contact Silvia at yspacesmc@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved.
Collective Roots
By Jenny
Collective Roots is a non-profit organization that focuses on garden-based learning (a strategy that uses a garden as a teaching tool), youth development, food system change (education about healthy food), environmental action and how all of the
se fit together.
Aaminah Khan, a sophomore at Santa Clara University, is the Collective Roots Public Youth Advocate. She is helping to collect research on factors that influence health and wellbeing of people in East Palo Alto. Known as “base line data,” this research is to help East Palo Alto get its own identity knowing the problems such as health factors, such as the fact that there is no supermarket near by, according to Khan (18). Focus Groups to
get opinions from community residents are something else Khan and Collective Roots are working on. They are currently working with City Counsel to try and get this done. All the information that they find will later be posted on the Collective Roots website, so that the community can use it.
Khan started working with Collective Roots in June and hopes to be working with them for another year. According to Khan, Collective Roots has helped her by giving her new skills in research. Working on this project “took me out of my comfort zone. [It was hard] getting people to listen to me because I
amp;rsquo;m so young. I’ve learned a lot about East Palo Alto,” says Khan. “There are some things I didn’t even know about my own cityt: normal;">, for example there weren’t as many si
dewalks in East Palo Alto as I thought.”
Collective Roots was founded in 2000 by Holly Taylor, Amanda Feld, and Adam Mitchell. In 2003, Collective Roots relocated to East Palo
Alto Charter School. Since the relocation, the school garden has become a flagship garden and is now almost an acre in size.
In 2007 Collective Roots expanded to include garden-based learning at Willow Oaks Elementary in Menlo Park. In 2008 and early 2009 Collective Roots expanded afterschool programming in East Palo Alto to the 49ers Academy, Girls to Women, and College Track, two local non-profit organizations. “The girls love it,” says Katie Gadsby, Collective Roots Staff. “It’s been a great experience for both us and the girls.”
“To educate and engage youth and communities in food system change through sustainable programs that impact health, education, and the environment” is the mission of Collective Roots.
Local Students Making a Difference
In an effort to increase their access to healthy food options, students from Jefferson High School in Daly City advocated to City Council members on May 11, 2009 to put a ban on new fast food establishments around their school. The students are part of the Environment Club and Project Heart at Jefferson Union High School.
Click here to view a newscast of the City Council presentation from KTVU Channel 2.
Click here to learn more about Project Heart and view their video "Life in the Fast Food Lane."
E.P.A. Youth become Get Fit Reporters
A multi-media project encouraging EPA and east Menlo Park residents to be healthy
By Liz Savusa
In the Summer of 2007, seven East Palo Alto youth, ages 14-20, were hired by Get Fit EPA to work on a multi-media project called City on the Move. The purpose was to help and inspire East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park residents to stay healthy and get active. Five Get Fit Community Fitness Reporters — Jeremias, Anthony, Ana, Mariah, and Liz — went out into their community with cameras and recorded how people in the community get fit. They all came with different skills and backgrounds. Each team member worked well with one another. Each reporter came up with different ways to show how to be active — from sports to cleaning your house, gardening, bowling, karate, cultural dancing, walking and even doing your job. Get Fit is about being involved and staying active. As an example, the Get Fit Reporters took a trip to the YMCA in East Palo Alto, and climbed on the rock wall.
There was also a web design team. Omar and Valentin designed and built a website that features resources, health information, and videos. You can check out the website at http://www.getfitepa.org/.
It took the team a bit over a year to complete the project, the website, the community fitness reports, and a 40-minute video called City on the Move premiered on April 12, 2008. The Get Fit team helped on the video, which was produced by their mentor, Nancy Brink, and her partner in Present Tense Productions, Karen Davison. The team is now working on translating the video and website into Spanish and creating an interactive DVD.
What do you think? Do you want to increase your physical fitness? Spend more time with the family? Enjoy all that Mother Nature has graced us with? Learn the history of the trail?