Partnership opportunities exist at all levels of collecting data including state agencies, local jurisdictions, universities, and others. Check out this report from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to learn more about collecting data effectively and improving modeling. Access the Improving Modeling and Data Collection for Active Transportation Report ...
Read MoreKids in New York City (NYC) have the right idea when it comes to walking! According to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), the majority of students in NYC already walk to and from school. In order to keep kids excited about walking, the DOT created the We're Walking Here contest. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage students to think about and share their walking experiences with others, through a public service announcement (PSA). Both the New York Department of Education (DOE) and the DOT support as many kids walking to school as possible. For the 2013-2014 over 200 NYC schools registered on-line to win prizes like t-shirts, pedometers and sun glasses. From encouraging better health and exercise to reducing pollution, walking to school offers many ...
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Painted sidewalks and a prime location make the Zona de Juego a great hangout spot for residents living in one of Houston's predominantly Latino neighborhoods, Magnolia Park. Thanks to a design team from the University of Houston College of Architecture Community Design Resource Center and a partnership with Houston Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Transformation Initiative, Magnolia residents now have this 600 foot active space, that's conveniently located between a De Zavala park and De Zavala elementary school. With a budget of only $2,000, project leaders worked with local residents, De Zavala elementary, the Magnolia Park Civic Club, the Houston Parks and Recreation and the National Endowment for the Arts , to bring this culturally relevant, dynamic ...
Read MoreMayor Carlos Hernandez of Hialeah, FL recently held a press conference to announce the arrival of healthy out-of-school opportunities for kids. Thanks to a partnership between the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the Walmart Foundation, kids living in the predominantly Latino (94.7%) city of Hialeah, FL, will benefit from improved nutrition and physical activity standards. As part of their Commit-to-Health initiative, with the support of the Walmart Foundation, the NRPA has awarded $2.3 million in grants to 50 parks and recreation agencies across the US to offer: Improved nutrition and physical activity standards; An evidence-based, age-appropriate nutrition curriculum; and Access to healthy meals during out-of-school time. Whether before school, during ...
Read MoreEstrella Hernandez grew up in San Antonio, a predominantly Hispanic (63.2%) city with a 28.5% rate of obesity in its population of over 1.3 million people. When she was in middle school she began to take a look around her city and found that there was a big problem with obesity and overweight, especially with kids her age. She knew that there had to be a way to get her classmates and peers to become healthier, while still having fun. Estrella came up with the idea of an interactive mobile app she titled WeWalk, which combined active living, healthy eating, and gaming. As she worked with members of the San Antonio community she began to discover that together as a city they could change the obesity epidemic while having fun through exercise. EMERGENCE Awareness: Sitting in health ...
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Counselors at New Britain High School were concerned about the future of Latina teens who were not passing PE and risked not graduating. Fortunately, a local nonprofit taught a group of Latina teens how to take photos and use them to inspire action—a technique called photovoice. Their efforts helped unite the nonprofit, the New Britain YWCA, and New Britain High School, who together pushed to establish an after-school PE credit recovery program. Now, Latina girls are getting the physical education they need to lead a healthy lifestyle, and the ongoing collaboration between community organizations has led to the development of a new hub for health called The House of Teens (HOT). EMERGENCE Awareness/Learn: The 37% Latino town of New Britain, Conn., was struggling with obesity in 2007. ...
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Some doctors prescribe only medicine, but others like the pediatrician, Robert Zarr, MD, in Washington, D.C. are prescribing nature to children as a way to prevent obesity and to address a nature deficit disorder. In a blog from the Children and Nature Network, Dr. Zarr said he noticed that too many of his patients weren't getting outside like they should. Fortunately through a collaboration of several healthcare providers, private foundations,and partners like the National Park Service, the DC Department of Health, US Health and Human Services, NEEF, GW University, and AAP, Zarr and his colleagues launched the DC Park Prescription Program (DC Park Rx). Within four months, Zarr had handed out over 400 park prescriptions and some of his colleagues have reported positive ...
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Every kid deserves easy access to parks and safe places to play! That's why the Trust for Public Land (TPL) collected city park and demographic information, to learn more about how US cities rank in terms of public parks. Of the 60 largest cities that were included in the analysis, Minneapolis (10.5% Latino) ranked first, followed by New York (28.6% Latino), San Francisco (15.1% Latino), and Portland (9.4% Latino). Other cities like Tampa (23.1% Latino), Corpus Christi (59.7% Latino), Detroit (6.8% Latino), Honolulu (5.4% Latino), and Phoenix (40.8%) also made the list, and tied for 28th place in the rankings. According to a Tampa Bay Times article, this was the first time that Tampa appeared on TPL's Park Score index. In the article, Tampa's mayor Bob Buckhorn said ...
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In a recent San Antonio Express News Op-Ed, Councilwoman Shirley Gonzalez shared some thoughts on why San Antonio should make its streets friendlier to pedestrians & cyclists. She discusses how 8 pedestrians from her district alone were killed due to motor vehicle accidents, during her first 8 months of office. Gonzalez also goes on to talk about the city's SA 2020 vision and about the city's 2010 Comprehensive Master Plan, which will soon be updated. "Achieving and exceeding the SA2020 goals, and ensuring a better San Antonio for our children, requires a plan addressing these issues jointly," Gonzalez said in the news column. "Achieving these goals means deliberately planning, and implementing projects, to reduce automobile use while making walking, cycling and use of public ...
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