We Can!^® Community Sites in Action

We Can! Across the Country

A total of 1,225 community sites have signed up for We Can! in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and 11 other countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Fiji, Greece, India, Israel, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Uganda (127 Intensive Sites, 1,080 General Sites, and 18 We Can! Cities/Counties).

See a map of We Can! community sites by state and find a site near you to participate in their We Can! programs.

Training the Trainer: The Best Way to Get the Most Out of We Can!

Over the course of 2010, our communities will be offering several We Can! regional trainings, which are supported in part by We Can! partner SUBWAY® restaurants. The events are designed to educate participants about the NIH We Can! program; provide training on We Can! science-based curricula for parents and youth; share innovative ideas to help launch and strengthen We Can! programming; and help participants network with others trying to prevent childhood obesity around the country. See the list of trainings below for an event near you. Visit the We Can! training page if you would like to register or learn more about any of the events.

• Chicago, IL—May 19–20
  

And it feels like... a broccoli stalk!

Since November, students at the Center for Multicultural Human Services (CMHS)
in Falls Church, Virginia, have been using all of their senses to learn about fruits, vegetables, and eating healthy thanks to We Can!–based programming coordinated by the Boat People SOS, Inc. (BPSOS).

In September 2008, the Fairfax County Partners in Prevention Fund hosted a
We Can! training. One of the attendees was so impressed with We Can! that she told Fairfax–based BPSOS about it. BPSOS added We Can! to the wide range of programs and services (including direct services, advocacy, community organizing, and development) it offers the Vietnamese–American community nationwide through its network of 16 branch offices and many staff members.

It was one of those staff members who found We Can!'s lessons so helpful that she shared them at her child's school—Holmes Middle School—through the school's Vietnamese Club. That program ran until the spring of 2009.

Over the course of the summer of 2009, BPSOS offered the Media–Smart Youth® program at its own headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, focusing on the physical activity lessons. Fourteen children participated and per Media–Smart Youth's guidelines, at the end of the program they created a public service announcement (PSA) that is posted on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xztlyx0aAco).

The end of the summer, however, did not signal the end of the program. With the help of the CMHS, We Can!–based programming went indoors for the cooler months. CMHS was already offering the S.M.A.R.T. program (another We Can! curriculum) through its center, so it made sense for CMHS and BPSOS to team up. They decided to offer the programs back–to–back on a single day, focusing on nutrition–related lessons and providing hands–on activities ranging from smoothie–making to collage creation.

Twenty children—ten in each program—are registered to attend through February 2010.

"Kids enjoy hands–on activities no matter what age, and love to create their own things and show off what they accomplish," said Cam Vu Tu, Youth Program Coordinator at BPSOS.

Because the hands–on activities were so popular, BPSOS tailored its We Can!–based programming to include more of them. It made the program even more popular, with some children who already participated asking to do it again, especially creating a PSA. BPSOS has posted three PSAs devoted to eating right, increasing physical activity, and reducing screen time on YouTube, where they could potentially be seen by millions of people. We've given you one link, above. Enter the following links into your browser to see for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIMGVEWjXp4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P4YNI0XWV8

Many more We Can!–based activities are planned for 2010, according to BPSOS's Cam Vu Tu, who reports that students will be designing their own t–shirt logo for the program, creating an advertisement, and creating personal sculptures.

We Can! Community Site Breakdown

Demonstrating program flexibility, adaptability, and value, We Can!sites represent a diversity of implementation settings, from schools and park and recreation departments to hospitals, health systems, and public health departments. We have divided them into 12 different settings. Visit our Partner with Us page to become a We Can! community site.

• Hospitals, Health Systems, and Health Providers: 25%
  
• Community–Based Organizations: 19%
  
• Schools and School Systems: 15%
  
• Obesity and Health Coalitions: 7%
  
• Health Departments: 7%
  
• Fitness and Wellness Centers: 5%
  
• Faith–Based Organizations: 4%
  
• Parks and Recreation Departments: 4%
  
• Private Companies: 4
  
• Extensions: 2%
  
• Universities: 2%
• Other: 6%