What a Chef knows about School Change

...he also happens to be the Obamas' Assistant Chef, and a very eloquent one!

Check out these inspiring session notes and quotes from Sam Kass, a Policy Advisor at The White House. And, oh yeah, Asistant Chef for The Obamas! He made these comments at the GenYouth summit yesterday, talking about the importance of, anong other things, school-based initiatives to promote student health, and I was fortunate enough to hear him in person. I found him articulate, passionate, and inspiring:

The right information is actionable; it can be translated into real life.

We change course or we prepare to live with devastating numbers that indicate poor quality lives: 1/3 of our kids today could become diabetics.

We must change now because over 20% of health costs already are preventable obesity-related ones.

We change now because every General tells us that it's already our biggest national security risk because poor health due to obesity is the number one reason why we have to turn people away from military service.

Kass's Keys to change:

Universal access: if it's good, make sure all kids can get it

Age-appropriate activities: do what's right developmentally

Right amount and duration: Make sure we do justice to it

Have to make it fun: that's not as easy as it sounds

Have to provide training and knowledge for teachers and coaches

Partner with local businesses and organizations

We must use positive reinforcement, and do so in small, meaningful ways

We must take action. None of this matters if it is not put into action.

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