a learning community

of afterschool professionals

Topic Extended Learning

Learning Module Project-Based Learning

Document Background Article - Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative

Description West Philadelphia’s Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative (AUNI)

engages K-12 learners in an active, real-world problem-solving
curriculum aimed at improving the health and nutrition of
its communities. The complex, pervasive and inter-related
problems of obesity and diet-related disease require a solution
that incorporates work with education systems, food systems,
the local environment, and other factors.

U.S. Department of Education

21st Century Community Learning Centers
Agatston
Urban
Nutrition
Initiative
(AUNI)
Philadelphia,
PA
Introduction
and
background

West
Philadelphia’s
Agatston
Urban
Nutrition
Initiative
(AUNI)
engages
K‐12
learners
in
an
active,
real‐world
problem‐solving
curriculum
aimed
at
improving
the
health
and
nutrition
of
its
communities.

Many
of
the
schools
in
West
Philadelphia
have
among
the
highest
rates
of
childhood
obesity
in
the
nation,
and
several
of
its
neighborhoods
rank
among
the
poorest
urban
communities
in
the
United
States.

West
Philadelphia’s
community
also
faces
tremendous
challenges
in
terms
of
high
school
drop‐out
rates
and
unemployment.

Through
the
development
of
student‐led
farmer’s
markets,
community
gardens,
cooking
and
nutrition
outreach,
health
fairs
and
workshops,
AUNI
transcends
traditional
models
of
nutrition
education
by
engaging
learners
in
hands‐on
efforts
to
improve
their
local
food
system
while
working
to
solve
the
systemic
problems
that
are
manifested
in
nutrition‐related
disease.


AUNI
organizes
school
day,
after
school
and
summer
learning
opportunities
in
twenty
Philadelphia
public
schools,
serving
more
than
10,000
students,
and
its
activities
are
linked
to
core
curricular
subject
areas.

Through
these
combined
efforts,
students
are
able
to
improve
nutrition
and
academics
at
the
same
time.

AUNI
is
a
component
of
the
University
of
Pennsylvania’s
Netter
Center
for
Community
Partnerships’
university‐assisted
community
schools
(UACS)
program.

Building
community
relationships

The
complex,
pervasive
and
inter‐related
problems
of
obesity
and
diet‐related
disease
require
a
solution
that
incorporates
work
with
education
systems,
food
systems,
the
local
environment,
and
other
factors.

Through
AUNI,
public
school
students
work
to
improve
lunchroom
choices,
operate
after‐school
fruit
stands,
help
neighborhood
food
stores
create
convenient
healthy
food
stations,
and
to
operate
community
farmers’
markets.

Collaboration
among
the
University
of
Pennsylvania’s
Netter
Center
for
Community
Partnerships,
West
Philadelphia
schools,
and
community
partners,
has
helped
to
transform
existing
public
schools
into
university‐assisted
community
schools.
This
approach
focuses
on
the
public
school
as
the
hub
for
community
engagement
and
development,
supporting
university‐assisted
community
schools
(UACS)
that
become
centers
for
improving
nutrition
and
wellness,
while
reducing
the
burden
of
obesity,
for
the
students
and
the
entire
community.

A
Starting
Point:
Student
Voice
and
Choice

Increasingly,
people
recognize
the
important
role
that
youth
can
play
as
organizers
of
solutions
to
societal
problems
on
many
levels;
as
deliverers
of
social
and
educational
services,
as
developers
of
model
programs,
and
as
key
informants
to
policy
makers.
The
success
of
AUNI
is
based
on
the
engagement
of
young
people,
including
public
school
(K‐12)
and
university
students,
as
community
problem
solvers
and
critical
thinkers.

AUNI
is
founded
on
the
idea
that
youth
must
be
active
participants
in
designing,
operating
and
evaluating
community
interventions
if
they
are
to
be
long‐lasting
and
successful.
So
what
can
we,
as
caregivers,
do
to
plant
the
seeds
for
such
collaborative
work?

The
lesson
here
is
to
start
with
the
kids.

The
children
and
youth
in
your
programs
are
valuable
members
of
the
community,
and
encouraging
them
to
directly
participate
in
efforts
to
improve
their
community
is
a
great
starting
point
for
fostering
critical
thinking
and
problem
solving
skills.
Listen
to
them.

They
may
have
amazing
suggestions
for
addressing
community
issues,
so
be
sure
and
start
with
them.

And
even
if
you
don’t
have
a
university
nearby
like
the
AUNI
program
does,
you
may
have
other
school
and
community
organizations
with
whom
you
could
form
partnerships
to
address
the
problems
in
the
community
identified
by
your
kids.

It
starts
with
small
steps,
but
they
can
take
our
children
and
youth
very
far.

AUNI
Website:
http://urbannutrition.org/