|
 As a high school teacher for almost 20 years, I
watched the progression of my students as many became more and more
anxious, depressed and withdrawn because of stress, and I recognized
that their stressors were having major impacts on their health.
I had this thought: if more young people had an opportunity - a
training - to focus on self-care skills, how to handle that stress
without turning to substances and unhealthy choices, maybe they
would more successfully avoid those unhealthy choices and find more
healthy choices as they grow into adults.
While studying for certification as a Certified Humor Professional
through the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, I wanted
to also prepare a product that would incorporate healthy humor as a
tool and listened to a speaker at its annual conference discussing
the power of grit in success.
As I love a great acronym, I wanted something powerful but
approachable and decided on G.R.I.T., which stands for Gaining
Resilience In Teens.
Over the past three years, G.R.I.T. has morphed from
an idea into a movement, thanks to the help from fabulous colleagues
and business partners right here in Logan County.
I pitched the idea to Angela Stoltzenburg who runs the Abraham
Lincoln Memorial Hospital Community Health Collaborative because I
wanted G.R.I.T. to mimic the successful CATCH program she and others
implemented in area schools, where students would see the G.R.I.T.
logo in the halls and be mindful of coping strategies.
She, and so many others, helped me transform the idea to a full
day-long workshop for seventh graders in the fall, our inaugural
event. The G.R.I.T. workshop brought most area seventh graders to
the meeting site at Lincoln Christian Church where students were
introduced to the Wellness Widget, a wheel of areas of focus that
work toward the wellness of a whole person.
After the widget was mentioned in the keynote speech, the students
had a variety of speakers with topics that could be found on the
widget. For example, Katy Reynolds focused on financial health, Adam
Quine on spiritual and emotional health, Lesli Hake on social
health, and Mario Canon, Grant Cooper, Nikki Chapman and Deiy Shuff
on physical health, among others expert speakers and topics, all
connecting the students to themselves and the widget.
The ALMH Community Health Collaborative sponsored the day-long
workshop and over 50 volunteers from all over the community,
including Logan County Department of Public Health, First
Presbyterian Church of Lincoln, The Center for Creativity and
Community, Lincoln Park District, Lincoln College, Epilepsy
Foundation of Greater Chicago, Logan County Education Coalition and
more, assisted in the planning and implementation of the first
G.R.I.T. workshop.
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The Illinois Youth Survey, taken by eighth, 10th, and
12th grade students every other year, shows trends in substance use,
mental health risks and other health issues are on the rise. The
data is shared with those who hope to see the trends move downward
in the areas of unhealthy choices.
Since the inception of G.R.I.T. workshop for seventh graders in
September, the planners have met again with local officials to see
what interventions the county and schools are already working on, to
make sure we are scaffolding on the skills, rather than reinventing
them at each step.
Through the partnership with the Lincoln Park
District, ALMH CHC, LCDPH and more, we are thrilled to offer a
fourth grade version of G.R.I.T. on March 20th at the Lincoln Park
District. All area fourth graders are invited to learn about the
Wellness Widget overall, while the focus of that day will be on
physical health, from what we put into our bodies to how we move
them to help us reduce stress.
For this version of G.R.I.T., we found we will have to rename it -
Gaining Resilience In Tweens.
Based on the positive response to G.R.I.T. from adults and students,
the planning committee also sees potential for other versions of
G.R.I.T., from Gaining Resilience In Teaching, to Gaining Resilience
In Teamwork, to Gaining Resilience In Toddlers, and even Gaining
Resilience In Town, with all area businesses showcasing the Wellness
Widget and how its business could assist with one or more areas of
the widget.
As the ALMH CHC has identified four areas of concern and focus for
the counties it serves as obesity, substance use, poverty and mental
health, the G.R.I.T. program can help create those healthy behaviors
to address these focuses for any age.
The future for G.R.I.T. and Logan County is bright, and of course,
we would love more ideas and help to have it grow to offer more and
more for our community, no matter the age. A healthier viewpoint for
all of our citizens is truly the goal, and we can all help in making
that a reality.
Jennifer Keith is the CEO of Keith Technology &
Educational Consulting, a Lincoln Community High School school board
member, and a parent of two daughters. Keith resides in Lincoln with
her consultant husband and is using the G.R.I.T. program to finalize
her doctorate in educational leadership.
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Read all the articles in our
new
2020 Education Magazine
Title
CLICK ON TITLES TO GO TO PAGES |
Page |
|
Introduction |
4 |
|
Teaching students to cope with stress |
5 |
|
First of its kind Illinois school meal program
at Lincoln Elementary School District # 27
achieves high marks in the opening semester |
8 |
|
West Lincoln-Broadwell students actualize
studies in comet data mission |
14 |
|
Students gain mental acuity at Hart-Em Chess
Club |
19 |
|
Exciting things ahead for the future of Mount
Pulaski CUSD # 23 |
23 |
|
School Report: Mount Pulaski Community
Unit District #23 |
30 |
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Logan County School Information |
31 |
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