‘Juntos Program’ Helps Latino Families Succeed in Iowa



In recent years, Latinos have made great strides in achievement in education. Latino high school dropout rates are at an all-time low and more and more Latinos are enrolling in two- and four-year colleges and universities. In Sheldon, IA (5.99% Latino population), a new program has been launched to help the community’s Latinos excel even more in school. The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Northwest Iowa Community College are excited to offer local Latino families with the opportunity to take part in what’s being called “Juntos para una mejor educación” (Together for a Better Education). According to radio station KIWA, extension officials have described the program as a series of activities for middle school students and their families with the goal ...

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Teachers Who Went Above and Beyond for Latino Students



What makes a great teacher? Great teachers not only work hard to ensure the academic success and leadership skills of their students, they also help students develop healthy habits for life. That's why we at Salud America! are excited to spotlight some teachers who have gone above and beyond for the well-being of their students! Ana Suffle: School Garden Maven El Paso, Texas, shares its border with Mexico. This creates an interesting cultural dynamic where some students cross the border daily from Mexico to go to Bowie High School in El Paso. Ana Suffle, a 15-year teacher at Bowie, said many students eat cheap, addictive fast food instead of traditional Hispanic dishes filled with fresh veggies, spices and tons of flavor, according to a Salud Hero story by Salud ...

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Latino Student Enrollment on the Rise at VA Community College



Latinos have been making great strides in education in recent years. The high school dropout rate is the lowest in history and more and more are attending two- and four-year colleges and universities. As the Latino population continues to grow, it can be expected that these trends will continue to grow more positively. At Eastern Shore Community College in Melfa, VA (2.3% Latino population), those effects have already been felt. Despite lagging overall attendance figures for the institution, Latino numbers have grown to historic numbers. The community college is now moving toward becoming a minority-serving institution, which is a designation awarded to colleges and universities in which white students make up less than 50% of the total enrollment. In order to reduce health ...

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New Health Fair Created to Reach Latinos in Georgia



Determining the best way to reach Latinos has always been one of the biggest questions that health care workers always ask. Language barriers, trust issues, and cultural differences are just some of the barriers that often create inequities for many Latinos. At Mercer University in Macon, GA (3.14% Latino population), students launched a community health fair aimed at reaching Latinos in an effort to alleviate some of the lingering health concerns of the community. “Since the Hispanic population is growing a lot, we need more representation, more people that can help because that affects the whole community,” said Dr. Jose Pino, a professor of foreign languages and literature at Mercer University in an interview with WMAZ. “In some institutions they don't have bilingual ...

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Training Students to Help Latinos with Mental Health Questions


Bullying bullied, sad child sitting on a window

For many Latinos, discussing mental health issues still retains a strong, negative stigma. Often times, a lack of access to mental health care resources means conditions go either untreated or undiagnosed. Language barriers also prevent many from expressing their symptoms and/or concerns to their doctors. In the city of Fresno, Calif. (48.54% Latino population), one group is looking to help remove some of these barriers. The Consejo Project, part of the Department of Social Work Education at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), trains social work students to serve Spanish-speaking children, teenagers, and youths and examine and work through the systemic barriers that limit the access of Latinos to mental and substance abuse services in the San Joaquin Valley. “We ...

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New Healthy Drinks Act Is Proposed To Help Students Health In the Philippines



To help decrease the increasing rates of obesity and ensure greater health for students in the Philippines, a congressman announced on Monday, March 13th, 2017 a Healthy Drinks bill for all public schools in the country. The act hopes to improve the diet of over 21 million students in the country where more than 46,000 public schools will have to limit, if not ban, the sales of soft drinks and energy drinks in schools. Ang Edukasyon, party-list Rep. Salvador Belaro explained to radio dzBB, that the World Health Organization (WHO) has encouraged banning or limiting sugary drinks, and now that sugary beverages are so cheap in Filipino schools, it has become a popular drink of choice for students during recess time. However popular sugary drinks are for kids, they usually contain ...

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A New Partnership is Helping Get Latinos into College



In recent years, Latinos have made great strides in improving their overall “state” of education. The dropout rate for Latino high school students is at an all-time low (12% in 2014) and even more (35%) are finding their way into a two- or four-year college. Despite all of this headway into education, Latinos often face unique barriers that prevent many from attaining a quality education. To help overcome these barriers, groups and organizations around the country have often sought out unique innovations to encourage more Latino engagement in education. In Goshen, Indiana (29.12% Latino population), representatives for Goshen College developed a unique approach to encouraging Latino students to enroll and succeed at their university. Richard Aguirre, the director of corporate ...

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South African Sugary Beverage Policies Effective For Rural Schools



In Vhembe-Mutale school district, sugary drinks have been banned since the beginning of the school year. The change has been successful and popular according to Health24, as parents like Tambulani Mbedzi explained that her child was suffering from headaches and found out that it was due to drinking a lot of sugary drinks at school being sold by hawkers. Children would buy two or three bottles of sugary drinks at a lower price from these hawkers that were selling sugary drinks to kids at school. The deputy principal at the school, Rendani Nemufulwi complained that because of these hawkers, that would even try to sell to kids secretly, kids were drinking tons of sugary drinks at the school and were less inclined to eat nutritious foods. Parents are happy about the changes, ...

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Strategic Campaign Fund Incubator Opportunity



A new funding opportunity is rising from Voices for Healthy Kids, working to ensure that all children have access to healthy food and physical activity where they live, learn, and play. The purpose of the Strategic Campaign Fund Incubator opportunity is to support innovative advocacy approaches that align with Voices for Healthy Kids policy priorities. Funding requests may range from $15,000 to $30,000 and all grants awarded will be 100% non-lobbying funding and all applications must be submitted by the deadline on Friday, March 31, 2017, 5 pm EST. To learn more about the incubator opportunity email Shannon.Melluzzo@heart.org and/or register for the webinar on the Incubator Application 101 being held, Monday, March 6th from 2-3pm EST. The webinar will review the funding ...

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