December update: We’re excited to announce a special challenge that will make it possible for you to double the value of your gift to Healthy NewsWorks in the final days of our fall 2017 fundraiser. Three Healthy NewsWorks board members have pledged to match the first $2,500 in new gifts from other donors between Thursday, December 21, and Sunday, December 31.
Read on for more information about the campaign and how your gift can help.
November 2017…You can help children sift fact from fiction—children from some of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in the Philadelphia area, children who otherwise may not have access to the tools to do so.
Healthy NewsWorks has been teaching children critical thinking skills since 2003. We’re working this year in 14 elementary and middle schools to deliver our unique program focused on building healthier communities through student newswriting. What is taught goes far beyond health.
What your gift will support
We focus on “what are the facts” and how you figure that out. Last year, one fifth grader in the Healthy NewsWorks program got it when he said:
“The advice that I would give to new reporters would be to always write true facts and never write false information. And remember to bring an extra piece of paper to an interview so you can write down more facts.”
This year we have broadened our reach. We’ve started a “Hearty Kids” pilot project to engage children in kindergarten through second grade. The seven pilot classrooms are receiving instruction in how to find accurate heart facts—including facts about healthy eating and exercise, stress reduction, and other topics. All told, some 500 K-8 students will work on school newspapers, more than 500 other students will receive special lessons on health and nutrition, and 6,000 students will receive the newspapers.
You can be part of something special
You can support having kids learn to ask good questions. Many start out a little shy and feel awkward asking questions of experts on medical topics. But they discover capabilities within themselves and are able to share insights with their fellow students and the broader community as a result of this program.
When our sixth book, Leading Healthy Change In Our Communities 2017, came out last spring, a blogger said: “Thumbing through its pages, you get a true sense of the inquisitive and intelligent approach the students have taken toward tricky health topics.” We’ll publish our seventh book in the series in 2018.
Your tax-deductible gift will help us give children the tools and the self-confidence to serve as health and literacy ambassadors in their communities. Thanks so much for your consideration and support.
