High School Students Journey to Wellness By Way of Oz

2012-04-18T00:30:27Z

True or false: High school students in Sacramento are actively and enthusiastically involved in changing the way they and their families think about, shop for, and consume food?

Absolutely true.

And if this surprises you, you should have a chat with some of the teens involved in what could really be thought of as “living laboratories” of Hiram Johnson, Sacramento Charter, and Luther Burbank Senior High Schools.

No doubt they are not the only adolescents interested in engaging in a healthier lifestyle, but they are the first local students to participate in a movement, co-founded by well-known celebrity heart surgeon and television host, Dr. Mehmet Oz, known as HealthCorps.

The idea took root in 2001, after Dr. Oz performed a heart bypass on a 21-year old woman. When he returned to the young woman’s room, he found the family celebrating the success of her surgery with a mountain of fast food burgers and fries! He was dumbstruck at the lack of awareness, knowing that what he had just given her was likely only a temporary fix. He realized that to make a permanent difference, intervention would have to begin much earlier. There were already programs designed for younger age groups, so, despite some skepticism from colleagues, Dr. Oz chose teenagers as his focus for affecting change.

Unable to convince anyone to finance a program based on changing the mindsets of teenagers, Dr. Oz reached into his own pocket for seed money. He modeled HealthCorps after the Peace Corps, recruiting college graduates to commit to a term of (paid) community service before continuing on to med school. In 2003, a New York high school was the first to put HealthCorps into action. There are now 53 schools around the country, with a goal of 100. The program now consistently recruits their coordinators from top universities, putting them through a comprehensive training program, before determining which school they feel is the most appropriate demographic fit.

True or false: Making a lifestyle change—eating, exercise, giving up smoking—is often easier with a support system?

You may have answered false, but there are a lot of executives at smoking cessation programs and certain weight loss organizations betting their ad budgets against you.

True or false: You have at some point heard a teenager express the desire to have something, do something, see something, be something, think something, because a friend is doing it?

See the correlation?

Teens are more likely to become invested in things their friends are doing, and things they have had a hand in developing. They are also more likely than adults to turn information into action. With that in mind, HealthCorps allows them to participate in planning and execution of projects, to experience anything from meditation or creating a community garden to Teen Battle Chef or “How to Make a Healthy Breakfast in 30 Seconds.” It also arms them with information to become teachers in their own homes, effectively turning the tables, and giving them a sense of empowerment. Empowerment is at the heart of Heathcorps. Unhealthy eating, after all, isn’t just about food.

The ultimate goal is to give every young person the opportunity to grow in three key areas: mental resilience, nutrition, and physical activity.

Although No Child Left Behind effectively stripped many school curricula of PE and health education in elementary schools, California is currently leading the country in school wellness programming, according to HealthCorps National Education Director, Dr. Shawn Hayes. HealthCorps, too, has strong backing, and a growing presence in California: of the 53 schools—or “living laboratories,” as Hayes likes to think of them—15 are located in California. The organization recently opened a second home office here, and at the end of the month will hold a fundraising gala to further raise awareness, as well as to honor and acknowledge the tremendous support they have received in Sacramento.

The event, “Journey to Oz,” will be held at the Memorial Auditorium on April 30 from 6:00-9:00pm, and will be co-hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, and his wife, Lisa. Oz, and is Co-chaired by Dennis Balint, CEO of the California Walnut Board and culinary specialists Patrick and Bobbin Mulvaney. Guests will visit various tables hosted by HealthCorps students and coordinators, as well as a combination of 30 local private and non-profit organizations invited by HealthCorps President, Michele Bouchard, who wanted to acknowledge them as part of the cooperative wellness community in Sacramento. At each table, guests will educate, inspire or give an action item to each of their visitors, maintaining the core philosophy of the program. Guest speakers are Montel Williams and Dr. Dean Ornish along with entertainment by Tony Award Winner Ben Vereen and an original dance number by Stepp Stewart performed with Sacramento’s Step 1 Dance & Fitness. The night will end with dancing to The Dick Bright Orchestra where guests can cut a little rug with their hosts. The idea is to make the evening informative, but engaging, smart but not stuffy—like Dr. Oz. Like HealthCorps.

Purchase tickets for “Journey to Oz” and find more information about the HealthCorps program, including local activities at www.healthcorps.org and look for the event page “Journey to Oz” on Facebook.

Special thanks to HealthCorps Shawn Hayes, Ph.D., who contributed the background for this story.

Youth Camps Can Be Fun and Provide an Education: How to Choose

2009-05-01T03:31:15Z

It' s because you care, you're reading this article. Chances are you've explored the options and are getting close to sending your child or children to a residential camp. It doesn't matter whether this is the first camp experience or whether you're an old pro, it's a near certainty a couple of things have crossed your mind.

First, there are a lot of camps. Second, many appear to offer the same program. Third, they're not necessarily cheap. Finally, for the money spent, isn't it fair that I expect a little enrichment?

You're exactly correct in each thought. The volume of camps is overwhelming. They do cost a fair amount of money, there are similar programs and yes you should be able to have your child's person positively impacted while away.

Most children want to go off to play, to have fun and so, it would be ideal to have them at a camp that addressed your want for a little education and the child be none-the-wiser for being at this type of camp: It can be done.

Obviously educational camps are college prep style and or camps that are located on university campuses offering summer course work. These are great in their own right but many kids don't want to spend their summer camp in school.

What are you to do? Perform an internet query for camps that reference team building. Then pay attention to the activities they offer for team building. For instance, a whitewater rafting camp will tout the teamwork required to paddle a raft. An adventure camp may call attention to the supportive attitudes and positive environment required to scale a mountain or complete a ropes course.

Look for a camp that references activities that require people to engage one on one and in groups. Buzz words to look for: discussions, community, leadership, evening campfire, interconnectedness, etc. These are camps that have thought enough about the benefits of communication and improving these skills.

Look for a camp that speaks of experiential-education. This is not a new term, but one that's gaining momentum. As our schools remove programs, college entrance becomes ever more competitive, school sports becomes more about winning and less about learning how to be a teammate, the need for education through experience, experiential education, is ever increasing. Camps that note this type of experience are cognizant of this need and are at minimum working towards providing this type of experience to the campers they host.

Here, an example of experiential education at work, viewed through the application of a rafting camp. In a camp requiring rafting, campers must learn how to prepare their gear each day, the must work together to get the gear in place, they must work to paddle in unison, they must work together in learning safety guidelines and what-to-do-when-scenarios, etc. Just the activity of rafting encompasses team, employing and exercising all the necessary skills you'd find in a boardroom or in real life scenarios.

If you're exploring residential camps, you probably have the means to send your child. It's natural and good parenting to want to get the most experience for your dollar spent. Your child's life will be greatly enriched from their summer experiences.

While camp is meant to be fun, if you look for the buzz words we mention above, read the guidelines in the previous article linked here for reading between the lines to find the right program, you can have your child in an environment wherein they're learning AND having fun. Both worlds are completely attainable, if you just put a little time in online. Hey, reading this article is an excellent first step. Happy camping!

For two decades, Action Whitewater has provided professional whitewater rafting trips: always a leader in youth trips. Adventure summer camps are the organic expansion of this focus as they work to create the best youth programs on the river. To see, video and photos of what you can expect at an adventure camp, visit our website.

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High School Students Journey to Wellness By Way of Oz

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