Honors Projects: Sam Houston State University Students | Business Communication

The following three pieces are part of Honors projects completed in a Business Communication class at Sam Houston State University. The students in this class completed an ACE project (Academic and Community Engagement) where they worked for a client in the community. This project asked the students to research ways that they could promote new programs being offered at the Boys and Girls Club of Walker County. These Honors students were then asked to write a reflection piece that explored the impact this project (and other ACE projects) had on their community partners, and also on them. As I read the reflections, I was struck by the kindness and dedication that my students put into these projects. I am proud to present these students’ work here.

Urban After-School Partnership Teaches Cooking and My Plate Nutrition

Seventeen percent of children in the U.S. are clinically obese and many more are overweight and at risk for obesity. The consequences of childhood overweight and obesity warrant greater efforts in early prevention. A key factor associated with energy intake and weight gain is consumption of foods away from home. Programs to promote eating more home-prepared foods present an encouraging area of intervention for improving children’s diet quality and diminishing childhood obesity. This study reports on an urban after-school cooking program implemented through a partnership between Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the Boys and Girls Club. Post-test measures and qualitative observations found that the program increased cooking skills and enjoyment, interest in healthy eating and exposure to healthy foods, and provided knowledge and tools to help modify students’ eating habits away from school. Partnerships between after-school providers and Cooperative Extension can provide effective programming in areas with widespread poverty and limited resources.

Engaging Community Providers to Create More Active After-School Environments: Results From the Ontario CATCH Kids Club Implementation Project

Background:This paper evaluates the impact of a large-scale, community agency-driven initiative to increase physical activity (PA) in after-school programs in Ontario. In 2008, the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club (BGC) introduced CATCH Kids Club (CKC) into 330 after-school program sites.Methods:This study assessed the impact of the intervention on the quality and quantity of PA using a pretest/posttest quasi-experimental research design with a comparison non-CKC group. Data were collected at baseline (September 2008) and postintervention (May/June 2009) using the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT).Results:Nearly all sites, with the exception of the BGC baseline program (a sports program) achieved greater than 50% of time spent in MVPA. Significant differences were not found between levels of MVPA at CKC and comparison sites (59.3% vs. 64.2%), or at CKC sites at baseline versus postintervention (59.3% vs. 52.1%). BGC sites had significantly higher levels MVPA in CKC programs than in sports programs (70.8% vs. 35.2%). In postimplementation interviews, leaders reported general support but some mixed reactions related to how the program was received by participants.Conclusions:This paper offers support for PA programs that focus on inclusivity and enjoyment and emphasize the important role of staff competency.

Urban and Community Fisheries Programs: Development, Management, and Evaluation

<em>Abstract.-</em>The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR) has long had an urban fishing program in Milwaukee County, the state’s largest population center. The program has largely consisted of hosting youth fishing clinics twice a year (winter and spring) on stocked ponds in county parks. The WI DNR launched an internship program to provide fishing coaches at urban community centers in 2005. These positions were designed to provide more frequent fishing opportunities for urban youth than the traditional one-day clinic model. The first intern was stationed at the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) on the banks of the Milwaukee River in a neighborhood known for poverty, drugs, and violence. The partnership between the WI DNR the UEC has been effective at introducing Milwaukee-area youth to overlooked fishing opportunities and nearby water resources. Based on the success of the Milwaukee fishing coach, a second intern was stationed at the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County (BGCDC) in Madison in 2006. Challenging socioeconomic backgrounds limit fishing opportunities for youth served by both the UEC and the BGCDC. This program helps to meet the needs of low-income urban youth by providing supervised fishing opportunities in or near their neighborhood.

Engaging Youth Ages 8 to 12 as Volunteers: An Opportunity for Youth Development?

Many youth programs are delivered to provide opportunities for youth to acquire the assets deemed essential to their development into caring, responsible adults. Engaging as a volunteer is considered an experience that provides access to the acquisition of key developmental assets. To date, research has focused on the positive outcomes that can result for adolescent volunteers with little attention being paid to volunteers younger than age 15. This research explored whether and in what ways being a volunteer contributed to the development of youth ages 8 to 12. Interviews were conducted with 73 Boys and Girls Club youth and seven Club Executive Directors in Atlantic Canada. Results indicated that volunteering offered youth an opportunity to serve their communities, care for its members, and feel valued. Younger youth also developed various skills and experienced enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence.