Promote health in 100 teens in Portland, Oregon

MIKE Program youth at Liberty High School brought together a team effort on and off the field, earlier this summer. As part of their Health Leadership Project, MIKE youth kicked around a variety of ways to inspire their peers toward healthier behaviors. When the idea of a soccer tournament came up, the youth knew they had a winning event.

The 17 youth who participated in MIKE’s inaugural afterschool program at Liberty wanted to emphasize the importance of health and physical activity in their projects. The soccer tournament, one of several projects, presented a platform in which they could emphasize both.

Donning their class-designed MIKE t-shirts, the youth set out toward the soccer field after school on a hot afternoon in June hoping they could attract some new fans to health. They had put in the effort to make and post signs around the high school campus, planned out the snacks and registered to use the soccer field.

They lined a row of benches with bottles of water and apples to entice their friends to play. As they watched school buses filled with teenagers drive off, a dozen young men noticed the signs for the soccer tournament and approached the youth in MIKE t-shirts.

It took only moments to convince the young men to a challenge on the soccer field. MIKE mentors and staff cheered as the young men and women took part in the friendly game. Even without keeping score, everyone on the field scored a win for health.

Physical activity is an important component of MIKE’s health programming. In a recent statewide survey of Oregon teens, only one quarter of all 11^th graders are active for at least 60 minutes a day. That time threshold is the minimum recommended for teens by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC finds that while younger adults, overall, are more likely to be physically active, African American and Latino populations, as well as those living below the poverty line, are less likely to achieve the recommended daily minimum levels. By focusing on youth in communities of color and populations of low socio-economic status MIKE is helping to boost those daily levels. Seventy-five percent of the youth MIKE serves self-identify within communities of color and low socio-economic status.

MIKE reinforces physical activity through its curriculum and near-age mentors. As role models, MIKE mentors offer a positive example for health and physical activity.

MIKE mentor Alvin Trieu, a Portland State University graduate in math and science, shared his love for sports throughout the semester. His hourly workouts at the gym each day inspired his younger peers toward increasing their own exercise regime. Trieu said he enjoyed mentoring the youth with MIKE.

“I believe that people who have time available in their lives should help guide others toward positive and healthy lifestyles,” he said. Trieu said that MIKE provided him with a great opportunity to educate and guide young teens.

Trieu and MIKE’s other mentors are able to make a difference in the lives of youth due to the generosity of our donors and sponsors. Such donations go far in paving the way for a healthier generation.

Links:

• MIKE Program website