Student Wellness Project
High school students are gathered together to increase awareness around wellness in schools by crafting a podcast and education campaign.
Student Wellness Project History
In June 2021, 24 students from across North Carolina gathered together to discuss their interest in farm to school, racial justice, environmental justice, food policy, gardens, and cooking. The group met six times through the summer and participated in a larger visioning meeting. During this meeting, students engaged with professionals working in student wellness to craft a Student-led Wellness Committee pilot for 2020/2021. The goal of Student-led Wellness Committees is to leverage farm to school relationships and student leadership to enhance school environments.
In the fall of 2021, six students volunteered to pivot and reimagine the student wellness committee project given pandemic challenges to starting local school projects. Next steps for the project evolved into a podcast designed to increase student engagement and excitement. The student leadership team defined five starting topics: school food policy, school food inclusivity, food justice, climate justice, and school culture.
Teens Talk Wellness Podcast!
_-_28de80_-_104539bb1ff9f1a1464e66b7f0c80866e920c6f8.png)
Teens Talk Wellness Introduction: Our three student podcasters introduce Teens Talk Wellness and their experiences recording a podcast. During the series, they will explore student wellness through the lens of farm to school, equity, outdoor education, School Nutrition, and so much more!
Teens Talk School Meal Policies: In this episode, the students dive into school meal policies and its impact on students and communities. They explore school meal history and conduct an insightful interview with Ruth McDowell, the Child Nutrition Director for Edgecombe County Public Schools. Sit back, tune in, and enjoy!
Teens Talk Food Inclusivity: For this episode, our Teen anchors will discuss food inclusivity in school meals and how that impacts our views of cuisines from different cultures around the world. During their interview with Jennifer Ozkurt, School Nutrition Director for Chatham County Schools, the students hear how she includes culturally relevant meals in her school menu and how students can advocate for food inclusivity in their schools.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Soundcloud!