Health Policy Researchers Attend "Students Taking Charge" Workshop
Natoshia Askelson, assistant research scientist in the health policy program, and Jennifer Turchi, research assistant in the health policy program, attended a workshop called, "Students Taking Charge," as part of the health policy program's Iowa Department of Education grant. This high school student leadership training is a national movement to mobilize, organize, and speak out for healthy and active schools in every state.
"The kids made a human graph to illustrate four causes of death in Iowa — obesity, alcohol, tobacco, and car crashes," says Askelson. "Through the interaction of making the graph, the realities of these public health challenges became more real to the kids." Turchi shot a brief video below of the students forming the human graph that you can view below.
The workshop is marketed to parents as the place for your students to:
- Develop leadership and advocacy skills
- Gain knowledge about school health issues
- Educate school leaders, media, and the general public on issues important to them
- Make new friends
- Enjoy the great outdoors of Iowa
- Share their creativity, ideas, and talents
- And, have fun!
High school students from around the state participated in the day-long conference to build their leadership skills around public health issues. "The students could participate in a variety of workshops from learning about how to do a Farm-to-School project in their community to interacting with Iowa’s new ‘I Am In Control’ website for teens," explains Askelson.
At the end of the day, the students from each school developed a ‘plan of action’ to put what they had learned into real change in their schools and community.
"It is important to expose young people to these issues because they will have to confront these public health challenges of the future," says Askelson. "It is important to encourage them to be involved in shaping their schools and communities."
The conference was held at the Y-Camp in Boone, Ia. It was sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Department of Public Health’s I-STEP program, Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids, and SIYAC (State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council).
Photo taken by Jennifer Turchi.