Upset with current school lunch options, the newest crusaders against the obesity epidemic are a group of… high school students? That’s right. Through the Students Take Charge program, options have been delivered to teenagers to become involved like never before.

Nationwide, students can take the role of leadership to another level and make changes they want to see in their food options. Students Take Charge is a
method of giving the responsibility to the students to ensure proper nutrition
education is shared. Getting started, the students analyze their current
school through a variety of surveys and questions. From there, an
analysis indicates what areas require improvement. They can begin building
a program from scratch, or use the framework set by other participating
facilities. The free program provides the information, motivation and
assertion required to see a difference. The website provides guidance on
how to get started and succeed, and can be found at:
www.StudentsTakingCharge.org.

It is the job of the students to partner with a school official (Principal, Cafeteria Manager, etc) to initiate the program. From there, the customizable template provides room to grow. Projects like bike-to-school programs,
healthy lunch groups, local food involvement and non-competitive athletic clubs are just some of the examples students have produced. Because of the individualization provided, no two schools involved will be the same. But through the sharing of stories, pictures and ideas, each school will be able to grow. It is the choice of the school if they want to concentrate solely
on one topic, or break it down to many different areas. For example, one school simply wanted to develop a club that not only identifies nutritional pitfalls found in the majority of the population’s lunches, but also turns meetings into a cooking seminar to give examples of alternatives.

Getting involved is the best way to ensue change. If a group of
teenagers can alter thousands of others about nutrition, imagine what could happen if we all had the same intensity.

You have a voice, use it.

View Original Post at rebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com

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• SportsPLUS, Health & Fitness, Nutrition