Rosemary Gladstar writes in her book Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, "There is no great secret to good health. Despite the bombardment of advertisement from the health and beauty industries that offers an instant pill or cure-all for the woes and illnesses of life, good health is, in truth, the practice of living healthfully everyday (Gladstar 5)". While this is true for some, those in a position to escape the bombardment, many others are landlocked and confused stuck in the labyrinth without a guide; many are children. Many must make due with what they can muster in this unnatural order of survival of the wealthiest. And today, survival doesn't depend on cultures of strength for many low income people. In some cases, the custom of ignorance of health is what chains them to their position of exploitation. Innocent and naive, the children must hear the elders when they speak about healthy lifestyles. We, the people concerned with future generations, must provide a new, culturally competent, recipe for vibrant health.
My philosophy of organizing and leadership has changed somewhat over the years I have been involved in community building. From unerring principles to critical compromises, what has become most important to me as a leader is the participation of the membership. If the membership is proactive and passionate then the leadership has done the work of facilitating democracy in action. Through dialogue, action, and reflection, the membership is simultaneously unified and critical, and capable of reinforcing the strengths of their community. A difficult balance to reach considering all the forces at work, finding local leadership, establishing democratic dialogue, and incorporating activities that push for the progress of the organization, once the balance is struck and cared for health becomes a wonderful byproduct.
As nutrition educators, we must acknowledge the school as a strong community; a great asset. With students, teachers, faculty, and parents all intimately involved, the foundation for strong cultures of health are in place. The demand then becomes the implementation of appropriate curriculum/activities to educate the young and old alike to the possibilities of good nutrition as a means to strengthen minds, bodies, and communities. Seeing the potentials and positive results of empowering nutrition education, a cycle of critical communities begins.
No comments:
Post a Comment