Estamos Bien de Salud

Issue: Natural and Societal Disaster Preparedness

Grant Amount: $58,024.75
Seattle, WA
Year Funded: 2011
Organization: Camp Fire Usa

Contact Information

Laudan Espinoza
Outreach Coordinator
Camp Fire USA - Central Puget Sound Council
4241 21st Avenue West, Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98199-1250
phone: 206 826 8932 | fax: 206 525 3351
web: http://www.campfire-usa.org
e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Camp Fire’s Expanding Horizons—Creating the Future youth group is on a mission to help put an end to the disproportionately high rates of obesity that plague our community. With the help of a grant from the State Farm YAB, this group will educate themselves about nutrition, healthy eating, and exercise; then take what they learn to their friends, families and neighbors through presentations at schools, fairs, and churches. The highlights of their work will include: presentations on health, nutrition, and exercise to other teens, families, and the community; a communication styles workshop for parents and kids about the importance of compassionate understanding about kids’ eating behavior; a family camping weekend at Camp Sealth to showcase fun, outdoor activities for healthy lifestyles; cooking classes for the whole family that will introduce healthier ways to make the food they love; and developing and publishing a cookbook of Mexican and Latin American recipes substituting healthier ingredients.

This project directly addresses the Nutritional Imbalances and Physical Activity and Exercise aspects of the State Farm Youth Advisory Board’s Natural & Societal Disaster Preparedness category by focusing on the obesity health crisis through teens educating themselves, their peers, their families, and others about nutrition and exercise.

Project components will include teens’ learning about healthy eating and then teaching nutrition, label-reading, and cooking classes at fairs, in schools, and in several partner churches; a communication styles workshop for parents and kids about parents’ becoming more understanding about kids’ depression/anxiety-related eating behavior; developing and publishing a cookbook of Mexican and Latin American recipes with healthier substitutions; preparing healthy foods that may be unfamiliar for participating groups to try; encouraging fun exercise (dance, sports, etc.) and outdoor experiences; holding a family camping weekend; and organizing a teen conference to teach nutrition skills and encourage healthy eating and exercise.

Project Updates

January/February 2012

In January 2012, we expanded our membership to include youth in North Seattle and Bothell, WA.Outreach Coordinator Laudan Espinoza was invited by staff at the Northshore Family Center to speak at an event geared toward Latino teens and their families.  The information session was offered in Spanish. Laudan spoke about the Camp Fire Latino Teen Group and led them through an exploration of what stresses them as teens and some stress release exercises.  Pictured is a youth at the event held on February 17, 2012 in the Bothell High School library.

March 2012

On March 17th members of the Latino Teen Group volunteered at the St. Patrick's Day Dash (sponsored by the Detlef Schrempf Foundation) by cheering on youth runners and handing out healthy snacks after the race.

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