Grant's target is improved nutrition for S.L. County children

WEST JORDAN — Children in Salt Lake County may be on their way to better nutrition, thanks to a grant from the Dannon Co. Inc.

Dannon presented the first-ever Dannon Next Generation Nutrition Grant for $26,193 to the Salt Lake County 4-H Youth Development Program to launch a new program called TRY, or Teens Reaching Youth last week. The program will train 40 local teens to conduct nutrition workshops for children in kindergarten through fifth grades. TRY is a mentoring program that teaches by positive role modeling.

Donna Carter, 4-H extension agent for Salt Lake County, said the TRY team approach has proven that children respond better to their peers than they would to an adult.

"In the past we've noticed that some of the younger youth really look up to our teen leaders," said Julie Swindells, a 4-H volunteer. "They retain the information and take it to heart."

In the TRY Program, teens are put in teams of three or four with an adult coach, and they will teach a group of 20 younger children. Since this is the pilot year for the program, there will be 10 teams with a goal of reaching at least 200 youths and their parents, Carter said.

Nedra Christiansen, a USU professor, helped develop the program's curriculum along with Kristen Strong, a USU graduate student. The two said they wanted to emphasize physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables and choosing low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

"These are principles that if they're included in someone's life, they can help manage weight," Strong said.

Christiansen likes the leadership aspect of the program.

"This is a leadership program," she said. "We're giving scientific knowledge to future leaders and (providing) leadership training."

Cami Lyman, 16, of South Jordan, says she's been involved with 4-H for the past eight years. She's excited to teach others about nutrition through the TRY program and feels it has the potential to change their lives.

"It's going to be so much fun," she said. "Nutrition, to me, means having a healthy lifestyle, so (youths) are able to go out and do bigger things. It will help them grow up to be healthier adults."

Rachel Scott, 14, also of South Jordan, thinks the healthier lifestyle will help children improve their self-esteem.

"I think nutrition is really important because it will help them feel better about themselves," she said. "If they know how to take care of themselves, they will have self-confidence."

This is the first year Dannon has awarded the Dannon Next Generation Nutrition Grants. Criteria for the grant included a county-specific, not-for-profit program with a focus on nutrition.

"The 4-H and TRY Program was unique in how it uses the mentor-mentee relationship to teach about nutrition, healthy eating and physical activity," said Michael Neuwirth, senior director of public relations for Dannon. "We look forward to reporting back about the progress of this grant."

---

E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com