NEW YORK, June 8, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Friday, June 11, 2010, Global Kids students at Fordham High School for the Arts (FHSA) will open their Growing Justice Community Garden. The garden is the culminating achievement of a yearlong campaign that students have been conducting to combat obesity and a lack of fresh food in their community.
Obesity is a major problem in Bronx communities, where one in three children and one in four adults are overweight or obese. In light of these dire statistics, FHSA students in Global Kids' Human Rights Activist Project, a program that empowers youth with the tools and skills they need to advocate for issues of concern to them, chose to focus on food justice this year. Over the past ten months, students have conducted a number of peer and community education projects around healthy eating and food justice, including interactive workshops, presentations at conferences, and creating and handing out informational materials.
Students at the school led a letter writing campaign in support of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's efforts to ensure that the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, which expires in September 2010, is renewed. They collected over 500 letters in support of the Act, which expands the availability of nutritious meals and snacks to children in school, after school, and during the summer.
The Growing Justice Community Garden brings both fresh food and a means to educate others about food justice to the school. For the past eight weeks, students have worked on building the garden beds and planting and caring for a number of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Refreshments at the opening ceremony this Friday will feature ingredients from the garden.
Event details:
Date: Friday, June 11
Time: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Fordham High School for the Arts
Roosevelt Campus Courtyard (take 1st floor, east wing stairs down one flight)
500 East Fordham Road, Bronx, NY
Global Kids, Inc. conducts a range of comprehensive youth development and global education programs at Fordham High School for the Arts, both during the school day and after school, which engage students in hands-on projects, academic skill-building, and leadership opportunities.
Global Kids, Inc. – www.globalkids.org
Founded in 1989, Global Kids' mission is to educate and inspire urban youth to become successful students, global citizens and community leaders by engaging them in academically rigorous, content-rich learning experiences. We educate youth about critical international and domestic issues and promote their engagement in civic life and the democratic process. Through our Online Leadership Program we provide teens with opportunities to address community needs, raise awareness about global issues, and develop 21st-century skills through the use of new media.
The Global Kids, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4850