1. Every School Healthy: Creating Local Impact Through National Efforts
- Author
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Nico Connolly, Daniel P. Hatfield, and Elizabeth Pufall Jones
- Subjects
Adolescent ,school wellness ,community engagement ,Education ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,030225 pediatrics ,Political science ,Humans ,Narrative ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Child ,Baseline (configuration management) ,School Health Services ,Contributed Articles ,Schools ,Community engagement ,business.industry ,Contributed Article ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,National Youth Serving Organizations ,school health ,Public relations ,Philosophy ,Health promotion ,Whole school ,Health education ,Thematic analysis ,business ,Positive Youth Development - Abstract
BACKGROUND Whole school, whole community, whole child (WSCC) approaches to education address contexts beyond school that influence young people's academic and life outcomes. These recommended approaches demand mobilization of an array of actors, but such mobilization is challenging. Little research has explored strategies for convening national experts to support local communities. METHODS This paper presents a case narrative of Every School Healthy (ESH), a grant‐funded effort to support organizations/school districts in 6 communities building WSCC initiatives by engaging national youth development organizations as expert advisors to ESH and communities. A thematic analysis of the narrative yielded 3 key learnings. RESULTS Three themes emerged as key learnings regarding implementation of national‐local initiatives: (1) baseline assessment of local communities should be conducted to identify opportunities for maximizing strengths; (2) national organizations must be flexible with the expertise they bring to the initiative; (3) national organizations should prioritize community‐cultivated solutions and meet communities where they are. CONCLUSIONS The 3 themes presented in this case narrative offer insights for effectively mobilizing national organizations to support healthy, equitable school environments at the local level.
- Published
- 2020