It is a privilege to work with a group of young people focused and consistent in their attitude toward education and community. That is to say, they are skeptical that any information I provide will help their circumstance (whatever it is), but they trust me and like me enough to give me a chance. It is this opportunity, this thin chance to impress upon them the need to fight for a healthier future motivates me to create an appealing activity. And this activity (really every activity) needs to be engaging enough to inspire the conversation they need to have...
The last time I worked with these youth I had some success at directing their attention at the public health issues of diet-related death and their community's lack of healthy food options. An appropriate follow up question to the visualizing of a community lacking good food is a conversation about healthy social determinants and protecting vulnerable populations from disease. Much like how the socio-ecological model shows, we interact with our food: as individuals, members of a family, members of a community, and often as followers of community institutions. Thus, we have our individual education, the support of our family, the organization of our communities, and the strength of our institutions; within these influences we should find protection. Do we? Are we properly educated and motivated as individuals? Do our families support our pursuit of health? Are our communities organized to protect the young and give them a healthy future? Do our institutions put their strength behind us when we think big about our health? Good questions that need answers. These are some of the questions I want young people to be asking themselves and their peers as they walk out of the meeting and are looking for answers.
My agenda for my next session is to dialogue around protection. The protection past generations of Americans had (producing current statistics of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, etc.) and the protection the current generation has. Are our forms of protection working? An activity that should help to demonstrate this phenomena is the human statue. By investigating their language around health and asking them to "pose" like those same ideas we can begin to manipulate the subject matter.
The issue that will probably arise this coming session as it did during the last session is the apparent embarassment/shyness of the kids preventing any dialogue. What served to relieve this silence turned out to be more than just fun, but facilitating their actually literally touching. With the "untie the knot" activity they had to form a circle, extend arms across circle, take someone else's hand, and finally untie the knot they just created. This touching and laughing served to eliminate the shyness.
For sure, the activity I will implement this week will need to be as much fun and engaging as any before. I'll need to illustrate clearly the connection between the "Food Store Maze" and the real challenges these young people are facing as they try to avoid bad food, bad people, and the myriad other bad influences. Now, the activity will look pretty tame as they form up into partners and try to guide one another through the maze. The surprising and controversial aspect will be that some volunteers will be designated as food monsters who will be positioned throughout the maze and as participants attempt to walk across the room to the "health area" the food monsters will try to reach out and grab (gently) those walking blindfolded across. The food monsters, upon grabbing a walker, will spin them around obviously confusing their direction, and let them continue their journey. The only hope these blindfolded walkers will have is their sole protector: their brain. [Another volunteer will be acting as their brain trying to talk them through the maze.] At first "the brain" will be talking "the body" through the maze using only the words hot or cold. After they accomplish this they will be able to talk their partner through the maze using any words they would like to use. The finish line will be on the other side of the room, known as the "health area".
With this activity they will see the necessity for guidance in this food world. Without the proper education, guidance, and skills they have little chance of avoiding or replacing these "food monsters".
Replacing the Food Monsters is an entry onto itself as it is the ultimate goal of any advocate.
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