healthy living

UConn 4-H New Haven County: Here to Be Healthy!

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4-H dance squad members pose in the grassDo you need some tips on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Do you have a project that you are passionate about, but haven’t shown it off? Are you looking for a place to both learn and enjoy what you learn about? My name is Genesis Rosario and I’m the Summer 2022 Intern for UConn Extension’s 4-H New Haven County office working with Margaret Grillo, where the fundamentals of living healthy are exhibited through creative and interactive workshops. Being held both virtually and in-person, there are Healthy Living workshops being offered throughout New Haven county where the youthful community, alongside their adult chaperones, are welcome to attend. From learning how to identify mold in the house to learning how to be safe in the kitchen, these workshops will introduce all participants to information that is valuable for staying healthy in their everyday lives. Have a specific interest in cooking healthy recipes in the kitchen? There are even 4-H cooking workshops that have a step-by-step process of cooking your favorite meals with substitutes of certain ingredients to maintain an effective diet-based meal. Participants of all ages are welcome to attend the 4-H cooking workshops. 

4-H is an organization that emphasizes the importance of living healthy while bringing insight on topics that can impact the community of all ages. Nonetheless, every year 4-H hosts a fantastic 4 H-fair for community members to show off their best interests and hobbies, while still being able to attend and learn about healthy living through local workshops. These projects can suit anyone! Projects exhibited at the fair range from raising livestock to showing off home art crafts. The 4-H fair has a variety of entertaining and inclusive attractions that serve as a way to incorporate education and genuine interest for a project on a personal level. Come join the fun! 

Article by Genesis Rosario

Ready, Set, Go! For a Healthier You!

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Welcome any youth between the ages of 7 and 18 interested in challenging themselves to improve how they feel and how they feel about themselves.  Join us for the next 6 weeks in learning about ways to practice good habits, and getting rewarded for doing it.  We will be holding a weekly workshop on a variety of healthy living topics that will be followed by a week-long challenge related to that topic. Your participation will earn points towards fun prizes – the more workshops you attend and challenges you complete, the more prizes you will become eligible for. No charge to participate!! This activity is sponsored by an award from National 4-H Council and the Walmart Foundation.

Ready, Set, Go! For a Healthier You! – Weekly Topics

  • Let’s Get Moving – June 15th, 7 p.m. – Focus on physical fitness and making summer safety a breeze
  • What’s Cooking? – June 22nd, 7 p.m. – Summer fun in the kitchen
  • Lettuce Learn about Nutrition – June 29th, 7 p.m. – What’s on your plate?
  • Go Bag Go! – July 6th, 7 p.m. – Make a go-bag 
  • Ready to be Mindful – July 13th, 7 p.m. – Taking a closer look  
  • Hydration Station – July 20th, 7 p.m. – Getting bored with water?
  • 4-H Healthy Living Awards and Recognition Ceremony 

 Secure your place now – first workshop is next Tuesday, June 15.  Special offer to the first 50 registering – free 4-H zippered bag to be used for storing supplies in case of emergency.  Any questions, email Margaret.grillo@uconn.edu

Click Here to Register

CT Trail Census

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A Yearly Review

The Connecticut Trail Census (CTTC) is a volunteer-based program that brings transparent trail use data to the community and state through a network of infrared trail counters statewide and through implementation of trail-based user surveys. CTTC was created four years ago, and the data generated each year is instrumental in helping with land-use decisions.

family on bridge smilingResponses to the 2020 CT Trail Census Evaluation Survey show that over 75% of respondents indicate they have used or plan to use the CTTC program and associated data to communicate trail use data for decision makers or the public, reference trail use data to make trail decisions, use trail use data to leverage resources, integrate trail use data into long term planning efforts, or identify patterns of use or trends on their trails.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased trail use starting in March of 2020 as more people than ever are using trails due to decreased options. Several reports comparing monthly 2019 to 2020 use data were completed for March through June 2020. Preliminary data analysis completed for Laura Brown’s presentation as a component of the 2020 Northeast MultiModal Summit document increased use in our data counts across 16 automated counter locations on trails throughout Connecticut.

The comprehensive 2020 Trail Use Count Report, summarizing trail counter and survey data was released in March 2021. In response to the increase in new trail users, the CTTC, in partnership with the People Active on Trails for Health & Sustainability (PATHS) team, produced four trails 101 videos to help new and experienced trail users understand how to plan and prepare for a hike, read trail blazes, and review trail etiquette.

The On the Trail and Walk with Me Podcast Series, produced by UConn undergraduate student Neva Taylor raises up the voices of a wide range of people from many different outdoors disciplines. A UConn Today article compelled UConn President Thomas Katsouleous to write a personal letter in appreciation for this work. In the new year the Podcast continues to highlight voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and continues informational on the trail episodes. Laura Brown of UConn Extension and Don Rakow of Cornell compiled an extensive Anti-Racism in the Outdoors resource guide that includes readings, podcasts, and articles. The list is updated monthly with new information.

The new Connecticut Trail Finder website is under development as a partnership between UConn Extension, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation. Projected to be released in time for National Trails Day on June 5, 2021, the Trail Finder tool enables community members to view trails, get essential information like maps and parking information, and submit trip comments and photos. Users will be able to track trail experiences, noting trails that they have completed, their favorites, or ones they want to visit. This resource is meant to centrally locate everything that one would need to know in order to enjoy the trails.

We also wanted to acknowledge the changes in our staff over the past six months. Charles Tracy, our Trail Census Coordinator, transferred into full retirement in late August. Kimberly Bradley transferred into Charlie’s role in late September and has been gracefully catching up and moving forward ever since. Ryan Faulkner, our graduate student intern who helped with launching the online/QR Code survey, left us at the end of October to finish his graduate degree for a Masters in Geography in pursuit of a career as a Transportation Planner. Neva Taylor, our undergraduate student intern from the summer who launched our podcast series, stayed on with us through the fall to continue her podcasts and work as a communications and social media coordinator. We want to thank all our staff this year for helping us get through these crazy times.

Article by Kimberly Bradley and Neva Taylor

Tools for Healthy Living Receives National 4-H Award

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student in garden
A youth member at Auerfarm.

The purpose of the Excellence in Urban 4-H Programming Award is to recognize outstanding efforts by members in urban programming and to strengthen the commitment to urban programming curriculum. The National Association of Extension 4-H Agents Member Recognition Committee selected the Tools for Healthy Living program as the national award winner for the competition. This afterschool program, a group effort by Extension Educators Jennifer Cushman, Mary Margaret Gaudio, Sharon Gray and Miriah Kelly, teaches fourth to sixth grade youth in Hartford and New Britain about healthy homes. The recognition ceremony is on November 16, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Since 2012, this curriculum has been taught at sixteen 4-H afterschool programs in Hartford and New Britain reaching approximately 430 urban youth. Over a two-year period, an additional 171 urban youth have also been funded through this program at the Auerfarm summer programs. This project is interdisciplinary, involving 4-H, nutrition, and technology specialists to achieve project goals. In addition, collaborations with afterschool project sites provided strong partnerships to deliver the program to youth and build an urban 4-H presence in these communities.

Through this program, youths in grades 4-6 learn the principles of a healthy home: it is clean, dry, safe, free of pests and dangerous chemicals, in good repair, and with fresh air. A series of 11 weekly lessons helps them to understand the effects of problems such as lead poisoning, asthma, mold and moisture, pests, environmental tobacco smoke, and clutter, as well as to develop strategies they and their families can use to reduce or eliminate these problems. Youths also explore the four key rules of food safety: clean, separate, cook, and chill. A final component of the curriculum is a lesson on self-advocacy skills, helping youths to become agents for positive change in their homes, schools, and larger communities. A long-term project to be completed by youths further encourages them to share what they have learned.

Each lesson focuses on simple strategies youth can do to reduce their environmental risks, improve their health, and build upon previous lesson. Pre/post evaluations, and observations are conducted to measure gains in youth awareness and gauge impact. Pre/post evaluations are conducted in two modules: lessons 1-5 and lessons 6-11. The 4-H Common Measures in Technology are also assessed pre/post. Evaluation results show increased awareness of environmental risks such as mold, asthma, smoking, lead and food safety. Youth are able to demonstrate simple strategies to minimize these risks, such as proper hand washing, using food thermometers to cook meat to the correct temperature and avoiding asthma triggers. The impact of this is for youth to gain awareness of environmental risks and to utilize simple strategies to minimize risks in their home environment. Sharing this information with their families and the wider community helps the urban community as a whole. Newsletters on each topic covered are sent home weekly to share with their families or caregivers. The significance of this project is to develop educational material and delivery models to reach urban youth in this subject area that can be replicated in other urban communities. This program is part of an effort to bring 4-H to urban youth and communities as part of the existing Hartford County 4-H Programming.

This material is based upon the work of CYRFAR SCP Tools for Healthy Living, a project supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture, through a cooperative agreement with University of Connecticut under award number CONS-2012-00633.

Tools for Healthy Living is now a national 4-H curriculum, and a Healthy Homes Investigation Game was developed as an App. To purchase the curriculum go to http://bit.ly/2txWYWx. For more information on healthy homes for children and adults visit http://www.hec.uconn.edu.

 

Tools for Healthy Living

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peer review“Tools for Healthy Living,” a curriculum about healthy homes and food safety, has been accepted as a national peer-reviewed curriculum by the National 4-H Council. The curriculum, designed for students in grades four through six who are in afterschool 4-H programs, was developed by UConn Extension as part of a 5-year Sustainable Community Project grant from USDA’s CYFAR (Children, Youth, and Families at Risk) program.

To implement this curriculum, a trained facilitator helps students explore the principles of a healthy home and learn how they can help to make their own homes and their communities healthier. According to federal housing, environmental, and public health authorities, a healthy home is clean, dry, safe, in good repair, with fresh air, and free of pests and dangerous chemicals.

kidsIn addition to explaining the principles of a healthy home, the curriculum introduces students to the following environmental health and food safety topics:

  • Lead poisoning
  • Asthma triggers
  • Mold and moisture
  • Pests and pesticides
  • Smoking
  • Clutter
  • Bacteria in food
  • Food safety and food temperature
  • Food safety and cleanliness

Students also learn how to act as advocates for a healthy home.

For more information about the “Tools for Healthy Living” curriculum contact Sharon Gray (Sharon.gray@uconn.edu).

Connecticut 4-H Citizenship Day 2015

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By: Marc Cournoyer

UConn Extension 4-H Program Coordinator

 

Approximately 100 4-H youth and adults converged on the state Capitol in Hartford on Wednesday, April 15th for the annual state 4-H Citizenship Day. Representing all corners of Connecticut, these individuals came together to meet with legislators, explore our state Capitol, learn a bit more about government and how they can be active citizens in their neighborhoods, communities and throughout the state.

The theme for this year’s event was Living Out the 4th H: The Science of Healthy Living. Youth and adult members of the CT FANs IM 4-H club of New Haven County provided workshop stations where event participants had the opportunity to tune up their physical health by dancing or playing sports using the Nintendo Wii gaming system and record small group videos on iPads about making healthy eating and life choices. They also learned about composting and home gardening skills, as well as, how much sugar is in many of the foods we eat daily. At the conclusion of the workshop sessions everyone had the opportunity to view a video that was created from the many small group efforts and photos from the various workshops. Winners of the state 4-H public speaking contest also gave their presentations to the group assembled.

After a healthy lunch, everyone ventured to the Legislative Office Building where they learned about the history of our state and the buildings that make up our state Capitol. They then had the opportunity to mingle with legislators and staffers from many districts around the state during an ice cream social featuring UConn dairy bar ice cream in the historic Hall of Flags. 4-H members shared poster displays they created about the day’s theme or discussed their 4-H experiences with legislators in attendance. They also delivered ice cream to the governor and lieutenant governor’s offices.

The day concluded with an orientation for 40 youth from throughout Connecticut who will be attending a weeklong national citizenship education program this June in Washington, DC called Citizenship Washington Focus. This national effort is sponsored and facilitated by National 4-H Council and is open to high school aged youth who are leaders in their club and county 4-H programs.

Much thanks goes to the group of 4-H youth and adults who met over the course of fourth months to coordinate the logistics of holding this event. Special thanks also to state legislators and staff who assist every year in securing necessary meeting space and other logistical requirements, and finally Emanuel Lutheran Church who has served as meeting place for this event for many years.

4-H members at Capitol 4-H member speaking

What Every CT Resident Needs to Understand About UConn Extension

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CES 100 greenI wish UConn Extension was not the best-kept secret in the state. It’s time everybody knew what a tremendous resource Extension is. Congress established the Cooperative Extension System as a national network in 1914 to tie university research to real life. UConn Extension programs have evolved over time, and as our state has changed, so has Extension to meet new and emerging needs. One hundred years after its inception, UConn Extension continues to impact the lives of our citizens statewide as it did 100 years ago.

 

The Smith lever Act came out of Congress to help communities grow better crops and plants, use land more wisely and provide safer food. It began by engaging youth through 4-H, their parents through adult education and farmers through training in cropping systems and business management. Those concepts still hold today but it has gone beyond rural agriculture and into urban audiences. These are “university” students in the community who still have concerns about growing food in a variety of ways, still have concerns about how we use our land and now more than ever, want information about food safety and nutrition.

 

A recent analysis found eleven or more UConn Extension programs are delivered in every single town throughout Connecticut. Over one hundred UConn Extension faculty and staff deliver 282 established programs that are grouped into four broad topic areas: food production, healthy living, environmental sustainability, and youth development/leadership. Here are a few examples of how UConn Extension has touched my life and is making a difference in the lives of others:

 

  • Ten years ago I became a Certified Master Gardener through UConn Extension. It opened my eyes to the impact that suburban homeowners have on polluting streams and waterways with fertilizer runoff, herbicides and pesticides. Our landscape management practices are dramatically different today; and my family is far more sensitive to reuse – we recycle to protect our environment and its limited resources.
  • Last month while preparing for an upcoming Farm Tour to benefit Extension, I met with a farmer who spoke with deep appreciation, and respect for his UConn Extension specialist. He helped the farmer implement techniques that reduce land erosion and production costs. Keeping farmers prosperous and productive makes our state a better place to live.
  • Ever since volunteering in a program to feed homeless, I’ve been sensitive to the thousands of people in our state who live with food insecurity, (not knowing when or where they’ll get their next meal). In 2013, UConn Extension helped research and publish a town-by-town analysis that provides those who run meal programs with much needed data to battle hunger in their towns. UConn Extension also directly helps families receiving government food assistance by sending their Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program specialists to community centers, teaching people how to stretch food assistance dollars with healthy food choices, and tasty meals.
  • The scope of 4-H has expanded since I was a member of a 4-H Club in Pennsylvania more than 40 years ago. Today over 17,700 Connecticut youth are enrolled in traditional clubs, and urban clubs located in towns like Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven and Hartford. Just as they did years ago, 4-H still emphasizes learning by doing, and nurtures leadership and citizenship skills important to creating strong, capable, future adults. The urban 4-H clubs provide after school programs that educate youth while keeping them safe and off the streets.

 

Remember, UConn Extension has 282 programs, plus thousands of electronic and written resources designed for consumers like you and me. Many services are free, low cost or priced at very affordable rates to defray costs.  Our federal and state tax dollars along with over $6.8 million in external grants, obtained by Extension educators, enable UConn Extension to be accessible and relevant information for the needs and concerns of today’s Connecticut. Explore the hundreds of services and programs available through your UConn Extension!  Find out more by visiting: www.extension.uconn.edu

 

Jennifer Riggs

UConn Extension volunteer

Chair, Centennial Committee

Be A Scientist for a Day

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UConn Extension is hosting a large-scale statewide science project on May 8th

 

ext_top_p_289On May 8, 2014, UConn Extension is asking the public to join our faculty, staff, 4-H volunteers, and master gardeners in a vast science project across the state, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of UConn Extension. One hundred years ago on that date, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Smith-Lever Act to serve as a conduit for scientific advances in agriculture, nutrition, and natural resources from the nation’s public, land-grant universities to its farmers, youth, and communities.

“UConn Extension ties research to real life for Connecticut communities, citizens, and businesses,” said Mike O’Neill, Associate Dean and Associate Director of UConn Extension. “To celebrate the anniversary of Cooperative Extension, we are asking citizens to be scientists for a day so that all of us will better understand our natural, agricultural, and urban communities.”

“Our programs create practical, science-based tools and technologies to help solve complex problems,” O’Neill continues. “Extension provides outreach, knowledge, and expertise to the public in areas such as: economic viability, business and industry, community development, agriculture, and natural resources.”

Background:

To participate in the UConn Extension Celebration of Science and Service on May 8, people just need to answer any or all of the following three questions:

What do you do for your health?

UConn Extension knows that sometimes it isn’t motivation; it’s just finding the time. On May 8th – we challenge you to fifteen minutes of fitness. Go for a walk, run, bike ride, play basketball, or garden. Be creative. In our 4-H youth development program, healthy living is a holistic approach that addresses eating a healthy diet, engaging in physical activity, recognizing and directing emotions, and developing and maintaining positive social interactions.

Spend fifteen minutes on May 8th focusing on healthy living. Then fill out the form on our blog, or post your name, your town, and what you did on our Facebook page, email this information to extension@uconn.edu or call us with your results: 860-486-9228.

How do you conserve water?

Do you conserve water in your garden, landscape, household, or farm? UConn Extension encourages all residents to sign up for the 40 Gallon Challenge. Sign up today, and then fill out the form on our blog, or post your name, your town and how you plan to conserve water to our Facebook page, email this information to extension@uconn.edu, or call us: 860-486-9228.

“Connecticut is a water rich state,” O’Neill notes. “But drought conditions out west, population growth, and increasing water demands are adding stress to the water supply locally and nationally. Reducing water usage at home will also help homeowners keep more money in their wallets.”

barnum vegetablesWhere is food grown in your community?

Do you grow your own food or get homegrown food from a neighbor who gardens? Is there a community farm nearby, a farmer’s market or farm stand? This project encourages you to discover exactly where food is grown in your community, and at the same time contribute to a statewide understanding of how widespread local food production is throughout Connecticut.

Sign up for UConn Extension’s 10% Local Campaign and then fill out the form on our blog, or post your name, your town and how you plan to buy 10% local to our Facebook page, email the details to extension@uconn.edu, or call us: 860-486-9228.

UConn Extension will be tracking the results of our May 8th science project on our website, blog and Facebook page.

About UConn Extension

This year, during our 100th Anniversary, UConn Extension celebrates the millions of youth, adults, families, farmers, community leaders and others who engage in our learning opportunities designed to extend knowledge and change lives.  UConn Extension will continue to serve as the premier provider of educational services to all Connecticut residents outside of traditional classroom settings.