CommUNIty Food Education Workshops

Posted by on March 10, 2014

The Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative (UNI) is a program of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania.  UNI’s mission is to educate, engage and empower youth, university students and community members to promote healthy lifestyles and build a just and sustainable food system. UNI is excited to offer two workshops to the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative to broaden their understanding of the importance and potential impact of integrating food education into youth programs.  To maximize learning, UNI staff and interns recommend that participants attend both sessions, though it is not required.

Workshop 1: CommUNIty Food Education: UNI’s Approach to Engaging Youth in Nutrition

In this interactive workshop, participants will be introduced to UNI’s model of educating youth and community members about nutrition and wellness through a variety of activities we use to train our adult and youth staff. Participants will define the problem of food access and obesity, introduce UNI’s 5 Healthy Habits, and utilize UNI’s Think AHEAD tool for making healthy choices. Participants will also have the opportunity to make some of UNI’s recipes specifically designed for student-athletes. Participants will walk away with specific strategies for how to incorporate nutrition education into their programming as well as ideas for how to engage youth in leading these efforts. UNI adult staff will facilitate this workshop.

Dates: Wed. March 19, 2014 and Wed. April 16, 2014 from 5:00-6:30 PM

Location: University of Pennsylvania
Civic House
3914 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Workshop 2: Youth and Food Choices

This workshop is designed to challenge assumptions about youth food choice. Using UNI’s 5 Healthy Habits and Think AHEAD model, UNI youth with lead adult participants in an interactive workshop designed to create an engaging, youth-centered model for dialog about the reality of youth food choice, how foods are advertised to youth, and to dispel common misconceptions about nutrition. Participants will understand the concepts of Food Justice and Food Sovereignty, and leave with strategies for incorporating them into youth-centered programming. UNI Youth Interns will facilitate this workshop.

Dates: Thurs. March 20, 2014 and Thurs. April 17, 2014 from 5:00-6:30

Location: University of Pennsylvania
Civic House
3914 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Additional Details:

·         To register click on this link and fill out the google form: https://docs.google.com/a/urbannutrition.org/forms/d/1djVegYgna9xwaLoTH9qd6s5LgvDDrxXbz51JZvGWTdc/viewform

·         Intended Audience: Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative Direct Service Staff and Youth Leaders

·         Workshop Capacity: 25

·         Transportation: Accessible by SEPTA (37th St. Trolley Stop); metered street parking available.

·         For more information please contact Laura Crandall, [email protected], 215-898-1600