Youth Fitness

 The Center for Disease Control recommends 60 minutes of physical activity per day for young adults, but only 24% of them receive it. A lack of physical activity in youth increases their risk of heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure later in life. We surveyed our audiences including youth attending our after-school and summer programs.  the consensus was that movement in the form of yoga, dance, and cardio activities made people feel better. 

A 2016 article by Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools Article, How Does Your Garden Grow by Laura E. Saponara, reported that school gardens could be a good form of exercise among young children. Researchers found that in 60-minute outdoor garden-based lessons, the youth did a substantial amount of bending, flexing, and so on. Train Them Up for Success, formerly known as JH Sampson Community Development collaborated integrated fitness with teaching teens in the Boys Saturday Academy about food insecurity, nutrition, and access. We collaborated with the North Carolina Master Gardeners and the North Carolina State University Extension Program to instruct teens in a long-term program teaching gardening at the Kinston. Community Garden. In addition to getting youth outside and exercising, they learned about food insecurity and the importance of equity and access. 

 In 2016 we partnered with NASA to spearhead the 2016 Coley Little Water on Earth & Mars STEM Camp.  After students used equipment from the STEM Resource Center at East Carolina State University to test their community water from the Neuse River, they were at the water sports, compliments of the Lenoir County Parks and Recreation.  Providing access to an array of fun fitness activities is a priority.  It isn't every day that kids get access to NASA-trained teachers to design Rovers for Mars, Experiment with creating storms in a jar, or resting river waters., Swimming after a hot day of exploration is always fun. According to the Center for Disease Control, "Swimming is the fourth most popular sports activity in the United States and a good way to get regular aerobic physical activity."

Our goal since launching the golf clinics.  Kayaking was a new experience for most of our campers. ​​ ​It is also a great outdoor activity providing vitamin D from the sun.  ​ According to Boston University Medical Center professor Dr. Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., previously explained to HuffPost that the “sunshine vitamin” can be one of the toughest to get from foods, and many of us actually take in over 80% of it from those golden rays."  Our kayaking campers took precautions like wearing life-vest ​, making sunscreen available, and ​ ​taking instruction from Parks and Recreation leaders.​  

When camp director, Margo Dawson, was asked to provide the Solar Eclipse curriculum for three youth centers in 2017, she added a hidden fitness component, movement.  Campers were required to move from station to station ​using the scientific method ​to travel from the solar eclipse indoor and outdoor lab stations. ​​ The ​U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends: that for school-age kids and teens (6 through 17 years): 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. This should include muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities at least 3 days a week.

The benefit of co-directing our camps with the owner of Fusion Fitness by Jelyse is innovative fitness programs that are age-appropriate with great music.  During the PANDEMIC, we launched our first Girls Fit to Soar Career Camps working with participants from North Carolina, Virginia Beach, Maryland, public and private schools, and the Kennedy Home for Children. After a fast-paced schedule of virtual college tours, mentoring with female leaders, crafting, and journaling, fitness was offered twice a day. We measured the outcomes using surveys, interviews, and observations.