Email: FamilyTimeInitiative@gmail.com for more informaiton!
About the Family Time Initiative program
I have had the wonderful opportunity to be selected as a 2014-2015 Albert Schweitzer Fellow! Below is a brief synopsis of my project, Family Time Initiative, that I was implemented beginning in the Fall of 2014.
“Family Time Initiative”
As a Schweitzer Fellow, I am addressing cultural health issues in the community on the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio. I am implementing a weekly evening program designed to educate, empower, and strengthen families to make healthier choices by bringing awareness to the richness of local resources and the African Diaspora. I am partnering with The King Arts Complex and GOREE Drum and Dance to give families a central time and location to spend quality time with each other, build relationships, become culturally aware and to gain knowledge and tools that can be used to live a healthier lifestyle for generations to come within their own community.
The goals of the Family Time initiative are to (1) Improve education on nutrition, (2) Educate on community resources that will contribute to a healthier lifestyle, and to (3) Empower families through cultural activities throughout the lifespan of this project. The families will meet weekly for “Family Time” sessions at The King Arts Complex, a community facility dedicated to its mission preserve, celebrate and teach the cultural and historic heritage of African Americans and the African American experience while developing greater understanding and harmony among all people, located in the historical King- Lincoln district. The sessions will be approximately 3 hours and consist of 30 minutes of cultural empowerment and community resources, 45 minutes of nutrition education, and 1 hour of African Drum and Dance instruction. Throughout the year, guest speakers from the community will come into the sessions and speak for the 30 minute cultural empowerment and community resource time slot; informing the families of local resources for a healthier lifestyle and cultural awareness. The nutrition session will be 45 minutes of hands-on nutrition education and implementation to equip the entire family with simple healthy tools they are able to use every day. The first hour sessions of nutrition and community and cultural awareness will include engaging activities that will incorporate the families’ reading, math, science, and writing skills. Each session will include resources for application such as handouts, brochures and pamphlets so that the education and empowerment given goes beyond the walls of the King Arts Complex and reaches the community and hopefully other families. The 1 hour of African Drum and Dance instruction will be taught by another local organization, GOREE Drum and Dance, an organization dedicated to giving others resources, education, and empowerment through drum and dance. This one-hour African Dance and Drum session will immerse the family in the richness of the African Diaspora with cultural traditions and rhythmic movement.
I decided to apply for the Schweitzer Fellowship because I want to make sure that the skills, resources, and education that I receive from my research and academic tenure at The Ohio State University reaches the community. One of my career goals is to bridge the gap between research and application of that knowledge gained from the research. One of the ways to attain that goal is to make sure that research and its contribution reaches the community. And also to ensure that those that need the information the most receive it through programs such as this, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. I decided to specifically work in the Near East Side community because I have had the privilege of growing up in this community. That experience not only makes me familiar with the community and its richness, but it also allows me to see the disparities in the community, the need for improvement and how I can help contribute to that improvement. I am excited to give back to an area and community that has given so much to me!
Albert Schweitzer Fellow 2014-2015
For more information on the program, please feel free to email FamilyTimeInitiative@gmail.com.
For more information on the fellowship and organizations involved, please take a look at the links below:
Columbus- Athens Schweitzer Fellow 2014-2015 Cohort
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