In partnership with Dr. Victor Mack and The 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte, we received literacy grant funding from Phi Kappa Phi to support Nutrition Literacy programming for the Movement of Youth (boys mentoring program with The 100) and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Center for STEM Education’s Pre-college program.
The 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte is part of a nationwide mentoring network of African American male mentors who provide transformative programming and guidance to African American and other often underrepresented and disenfranchised youth. There are four pillars to their programming: education, health and wellness, economic empowerment, and leadership development.
Movement of Youth (MOY) is one of the 100’s mentoring programs, offered to boys, ages 11 to 18. The MOY mission is to improve the overall health and well-being of youth through
structured physical fitness training, wholesome food choices, character development and
mentoring. Programming includes workshops, guest speakers, field trips and site visits, and community service. Tutoring is provided as needed, as part of the mentoring mission, and parents of the boys attend workshops too.
The nutrition literacy course falls within the health and wellness pillar of the 100, and the focus on wholesome food choices. The purpose of this nutrition literacy initiative for its participants is to: understand the link between nutrition and health; demonstrate how diet impacts school performance and extra-curricular activities; and gain knowledge and skill in culinary arts to promote a healthy lifestyle. Students will be able to: discern between nutritional ingredients and the implications for their consumption; identify, access, and implement best practices that support a healthy lifestyle; sustain healthy eating habits; and develop a high level of competency in meal preparation. Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society whose motto is “Let the love of learning rule humanity.” The
society membership includes representation of academic excellence in a wide variety of
disciplines from colleges and universities nationwide. Phi Kappa Phi offers a number of grants and scholarships to support programming and professional development among its members. The Literacy grants support programs that foster literacy broadly defined to include reading, writing, digital storytelling, other digital learning, finances and health and wellness. We are grateful to The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi for this opportunity.