The Louisiana 4-H Teens Leading Change team with Jamaius White (middle).
The Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter and Louisiana 4-H are collaborating with Wholespire to implement The Health Young People Empowerment (HYPE) Project in two parishes over the next four years. LSU AgCenter included funding for The HYPE Project® in their application for a USDA Children, Youth, and Families at Risk grant to engage youth leaders in meaningful community change while developing leadership skills.
“This five-year grant focuses on Jefferson and Orleans parishes, but we hope to expand to other parishes down the road,” said Jessica Stroop, research associate at the LSU AgCenter. “The specific projects will be up to the youth but will broadly focus on systemic issues related to nutrition or physical activity. We also hope to see youth leaders develop skills in presentations, assessments, collaboration, and organization.”
Jamaius White, program manager of The HYPE Project, recently trained the Louisiana 4-H agents on the curriculum in New Orleans, walking them through various activities and discussions that youth will participate in. The LSU AgCenter chose both Advisor Training and Train the Trainer packages based on their approach to implementing The HYPE Project. Some agents will use the traditional model of implementing the HYPE curriculum themselves (Advisor Training), while other agents will use the Train the Trainer model to train others on how to implement the curriculum.
“We’re excited to be providing technical assistance to the Louisiana 4-H agents and helping them understand the curriculum, the operational side of managing a HYPE team, as well as other technical assistance needs, they may have,” said Jamaius White, The HYPE Project® program manager. “I think LSU AgCenter has a strong plan for implementing HYPE in these schools, and I don’t see them needing much assistance.”
Louisiana 4-H is the largest youth development program with clubs and groups in all 64 parishes, territorial divisions similar to counties. Jefferson and Orleans parishes, two urban areas with diverse populations and cultures, were chosen not only to develop youth leadership skills but to also develop 4-H urban programming. 4-H is known for livestock showing competitions and other agriculture-related activities in rural areas, but Louisiana 4-H leaders want to reach youth in urban parishes too. One way they’re doing that is through their Teens Leading Change program, also know as The HYPE Project.
White (not pictured) walked the 4-H agents through The HYPE Project curriculum.
In South Carolina, Wholespire has historically worked with youth-led organizations and groups based on funding sources and directives. LSU AgCenter is the first state-level organization to purchase The HYPE Project curriculum package and the first to implement the curriculum in schools. The key component to their approach is working with a lead teacher, who will be the advisor to the students.
“The school administration has been fantastic, and I’m lucky to have my lead teacher. She really is so passionate about these kids and the program and what we can do,” said Sabrina Hoffmeister, assistant extension agent 4-H Youth Development for Jefferson Parish.
The lead teacher will help run the Teens Leading Change program composed of ten high school seniors. This model is being used in both Orleans and Jefferson parishes, however, this article provides insight into the Jefferson Parish implementation. Information on the Orleans Parish implementation is not available at this time, however, keep in mind that implementing one model in two high schools may not run the same way based on unexpected hurdles and changing situations.
At Riverdale High School in Jefferson Parish, an economically disadvantaged public school (based on 86% of the student population qualifying for free or reduced school meals), Lead Teacher Lauren Broadway is an English instructor in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program, an academic program that addresses intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being of students. She has an established relationship with the IB students, who make up the Teens Leading Change program.
“We considered interviewing students to identify the right candidates, but we thought about the lead teacher. She knows these kids and sees them every day. She’s the one that has chosen the ten students based on their capstone project and their desire to make the community better,” said Hoffmeister.
4-H agents try out the Community Web of Support activity.
A core component of the IB Diploma Program is the completion of a Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) project, also referred to as a capstone project, that demonstrates the students’ knowledge and skills. According to the IB Diploma Program website, a CAS project can address any single strand of CAS, or combine two or all three strands of creativity, activity and service.
The advantages of implementing The HYPE Project at Riverdale High School are extraordinarily unique because of the IB Diploma Program, its alignment with the HYPE curriculum, and the knowledge and experience of the lead teacher. Perhaps one standout advantage is that the IB students already know about policy, systems and environments (PSE).
“My group of students have already taken a PSE class, which is super helpful. They already know those beginning steps of the curriculum, but we will do a little refresh,” said Hoffmeister. “Then, we’ll quickly move into the act phase of the HYPE curriculum and get the ball rolling in September.”
In addition to Hoffmeister being the point person for the Teens Leading Change program in Jefferson Parish, her team includes Nutrition Agent Shawn Verbeten and Assistant Extension Agent Courtney Budenich. The Jefferson Parish 4-H agents will manage their Teens Leading Change program and provide technical assistance, or guidance, to the lead teacher and interact with the students too.
The Riverdale High School IB Diploma Program seniors will begin their HYPE journey within days or weeks of this posting. Based on the information learned by Wholespire, LSU AgCenter and Louisiana 4-H have set them up for success with a well thought out plan, contingencies for roadblocks, and a timeline that could avoid Mardi Gras interruptions.
If you are interested in implementing The HYPE Project in your state, school, community or youth-led organization, visit our website and contact us.
Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School students have access water while enjoying recess.
Sometimes, even the best plans run into unexpected challenges, especially during the procurement process. When your mini-grant project doesn’t go as planned, it can be discouraging, but it’s important to remember that setbacks are a normal part of the process. Leaders at Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School in Aiken County found out firsthand how a project of installing an outdoor water fountain/water bottle refill station and soccer goals can have challenges.
Oakwood-Windsor, located just outside of Windsor, South Carolina, is a Title I school with a high poverty rate. Thirty percent of its student population represents the Hispanic community, and many families work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Even though Title I schools receive federal funding for programs and instruction, there are no funds available for improvements to the environment, such as purchasing and installing an outdoor water fountain/water bottle refill station or play equipment.
Due to its rural location, the playground is a busy place in the evenings and on weekends. Unfortunately, it did not have a lot to offer. During school hours, the principal observed her students using cones and other objects to mark imaginary soccer goal lines, and there was a lot of traffic entering and exiting the school building for a drink of water. She wanted to make recess more fun and water more accessible. She also had the community in mind. Her goal was to increase the use of the playground and encourage healthy living among all of the school’s stakeholders.
“When I first got here, there were things that I wanted to be able to provide for my kids, but I just didn’t have the funds to do so. I don’t have an active PTO, and even when we did have one, it wasn’t a big money-making enterprise, if you will, like in other schools. So, I needed to look for different opportunities that were out there,” said Principal Davina Truitt.
In 2021, Principal Truitt learned about the Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Mini-Grant funding opportunity and wasted no time submitting her application. She said, “I was very shocked and thankful in a wonderful way to learn that we received the grant. But then it went downhill because it took us so long to make it come to fruition.”
Hurdle 1: Grant proposal was partially funded
When Truitt received her award letter, she learned that she would not be receiving the entire budget request of nearly $5,000. Facing limited funds, Principal Truitt did what she knew best. She talked about it. The self-proclaimed Chatty Cathy was honest during casual conversations with community partners who were interested in updates about what was happening at Oakwood-Windsor. Because she cares deeply about her students, she engages with community partners by talking about them, the projects or initiatives that are happening, and the needs and wishes of her school.
“I just shared with a member of the Rotary Club of Aiken Sunrise the excitement that we received this grant, but we don’t have quite the funds. But it’s okay because we’re going to figure it out,” said Truitt, “and they said, ‘You know what? I’m noting this. Let me go back to my board, and we’re going to be in touch.’ And next thing I know, they did a fundraiser because they wanted us to be able to afford everything we needed for this project.”
The Rotary Club of Aiken Sunrise was able to raise more funds than anyone had expected. They matched the amount received from the HEAL Mini-Grant, plus more. According to Truitt, “We were able to get soccer balls and an even nicer set of soccer goals than the ones I initially picked out.”
As to why the grant was partially funded, Wholespire Executive Director Meg Stanley said, “We were trying to fund as many qualifying and good applications as we could. Using the knowledge we had of cost estimates and resources, we decided to partially fund this project. If we could go back and change that, we would. We do not take that approach today because we now know that each school or entity has their own procedures and processes for selecting vendors or equipment. Partial funding can decrease the impact of community projects. However, our funder does have the authority to not fund a specific line item in a proposed budget.”
Hurdle 2: The procurement process has its challenges
The goal of a procurement process is to ensure you get the best value for your budget while ensuring that the quality, timing, and other factors meet an organization’s requirements. When you’re not familiar with your organization’s process, seek advice and guidance from colleagues in the procurement department or, in Oakwood-Windsor’s case, colleagues in the district office.
The Aiken County School District requires at least three quotes from external contractors. You would think that finding a qualified plumber is simple, but that’s not always true. The first quote was easily obtained through the district office’s preferred plumber, but the installation quote was extremely high. Many businesses Truitt reached out to didn’t respond to her request for a quote or the contractor could not fit an onsite visit into their schedule. Truitt turned to community partners for recommendations, but to no avail; she could not get responses.
The key to this hurdle is keeping everyone in the loop. Truitt continued to keep Wholespire and the school district office updated on her progress and the challenges she was facing, which kept Oakwood- Windsor in good standing with Wholespire in spite of the unexpected delays. She eventually found a plumber who provided a quote that fit her budget, but she still needed one more quote. Fortunately, her school district contact understood the challenge, the time invested in getting the second quote, and the fact that she was well beyond the nine-month timeframe of the mini-grant. In the end, the school district contact agreed that she could complete the procurement process with only two quotes.
Hurdle 3: The contractor was difficult to reach
Truitt found her plumber, but there was a small glitch that turned into a big, time-consuming hurdle. After ordering the water fountain/water bottle refill station recommended by the plumber, there was a communication failure. Getting in touch with the contracted plumber was difficult. It took months to reach him.
“It honestly became a bit of a nightmare,” said Truitt. “We tried contacting him by phone but couldn’t leave a voicemail. We would send emails back and forth. We finally got in touch with him, and he partially installed the water bottle refill station.”
Electricity became a factor that the plumber could not address. So, she reached back out to the school district office for guidance, and they sent their electricians to finish the job. Now, it was time to address the soccer goals.
“We worked again with a member of our school district office staff. He’s very knowledgeable about all things playgrounds, and he guided us on purchasing good-quality soccer goals,” said Truitt. “He even helped us put them together and installed the goals.”
It was a long, drawn-out process, but Truitt remained committed to the project, the excitement of her students, and the benefit of the community.
The successes outweigh the challenges
Looking back, the Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School HEAL Mini-Grant project was successful in many ways. First and foremost, the students don’t have barriers to accessing water while outside, giving them more time for outdoor physical activity. They no longer have to imagine soccer goal lines and can kick the balls as hard as they want.
Students have more fun at recess, thanks to the new soccer balls and goals.
“Our students have already commented on how much more they enjoy going on the playground now that they can play soccer. And, now that our hydration station has been installed and is functional, our students (and visitors to the playground) won’t miss physical activity time by having to go inside or leave the playground altogether to get some water. We have already seen more students being physically active on the playground in the short amount of time they’ve had with the project components.”
Other successes of the project include the school district office being flexible with the procurement process, community partners leveraging funds through a fundraiser, being able to purchase better quality soccer goals and soccer balls, and school district employees completing the water fountain/water bottle filling station and volunteering their time and knowledge on soccer goals and installation.
Asked if she has any advice to other grant recipients, Principal Truitt said, “My words of advice would be to just keep the focus on the purpose of the project and not get discouraged if there are challenges or roadblocks. For us, it was the commitment to providing our Wise Owls with a healthy space to do something they enjoy, playing soccer! Keep reaching out to others who can help your project come to fruition and be persistent.”
Perhaps one last success was the flexibility and understanding of Wholespire. Even though the HEAL mini-grant requires a nine-month implementation time frame, challenges and roadblocks do arise that prevent the project from being completed on time.
“Oakwood-Windsor is not the first mini-grant recipient to face uncontrollable roadblocks that delay project completion. We greatly appreciate Ms. Truitt’s continuous communication with us during the project implementation process. Her communication allowed us to be more understanding and provide explanations to our funder,” said Stanley.
Whether it’s because of challenges you didn’t see coming or changes in the situation, the Oakwood-Windsor hurdles offered valuable lessons. The key is to stay flexible, keep lines of communication open with the funder, and use what you’ve learned to improve future efforts.
