Nutritional Empowerment; Integrating the Mind-Body-Spirit to Elevate Student Performance

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Nourished Life Design

Second Presenter's Institution

NA

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Location

Harborside East & West

Strand #1

Social & Emotional Skills

Strand #2

Mental & Physical Health

Relevance

This workshop addresses a holistic, whole child approach to after-school and youth programming. By addressing the development of the Mind, Body, & Spirit of each child, we are committing to the overall improvement of each child's health, social & emotional skills, and overall well being. In other words, we are looking for new ways to actually feed the Mind (Mindfulness/Mindset), strengthen the Body (Nutrition & Movement), and fuel the Spirit (Connection/Community) of today's youth.

Brief Program Description

Nutritional Empowerment Enrichment is a holistic approach to creating a well-rounded student. By developing the mind (mindfulness/mindset), strengthening the body (nutrition/exercise), and fueling the spirit (connection/community) of each child, the student will increase their awareness, connection, and commitment to the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of development and growth.

OBJECTIVES / OUTCOMES:

Objective #1- At the completion of the workshop/presentation, the participant will be able to implement daily fun and interactive mindfulness activities such as breathing, sharing acts of kindness, and displays of gratitude (MIND).

Objective #2- At the completion of the workshop/presentation, the participant will be able to implement kid-friendly yoga and stretching practices, education on healthy food choices for students and parents (on a budget), and safe appropriate exercise activities within the classroom or program space (BODY).

Objective #3- At the completion of the workshop/presentation, the participant will be able to implement daily team-building exercises, introductory meditation practices, and community service orientated short-form projects (SPIRIT).

Summary

During the school day students are tasked with hours of academic rigor, they are focusing on results-driven content, their minds are over stimulated by technology, they eat nutrient-deprived lunches (or skip important meals), they participate in little or no physical movement and there is less and less time for creative expression. By the time they arrive to the expanded learning program students are: functioning on high stress levels; unable to sustain their focus; socially and emotionally disconnected; under-stimulated and hyped up on poor food choices. All of these factors cause low energy and irritable or even volatile behavior.

Nutritional Empowerment Enrichment is a holistic approach to creating a well-rounded student. By developing the mind (mindfulness/mindset), strengthening the body (nutrition/exercise), and fueling the spirit (connection/community) of each child, the student will increase their awareness, connection, and commitment to the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of development and growth.

Integrating the Mind, Body, & Spirit approach into the holistic development of today’s youth during expanded learning hours has a variety of well documented and researched impacts. Students will build necessary life skills in the following areas: managing stress, increasing productivity, improved attention span in academic classes, sports, and the arts, develop a stronger sense of self and groundedness, all resulting in increased school attendance.

When participating in the Nutritional Empowerment Enrichment model, students become more secure, more self-aware and more empathetic. They will become positive contributors to their communities and develop a greater understanding of themselves and the world they live in.

As a health and wellness professional, and as a previous non-profit partner in the youth education space with the New Jersey Board of Education, I have learned that a prevalent issue for educators is the lack of resources and minimal time to provide a holistic approach for student health and wellness. The purpose of this workshop is to enable the learner/teacher to implement practical, effective, and easy to integrate hands-on activities during school time, expanded learning, out-of-school time, and in summer learning programs. The attendee will gain new knowledge on how to implement a Mind-Body-Spirit approach to holistic youth development. This approach is universal in nature and applies to all student demographics and economic indicators.

Evidence

Integrating the Mind, Body, & Spirit approach into the holistic development of today’s youth during school and expanded learning hours has a variety of well documented and researched impacts. Students will build necessary life skills in the following areas: managing stress, increasing productivity, improved attention span in academic classes, sports, and the arts, develop a stronger sense of self and groundedness, all resulting in increased school attendance. When participating in the Nutritional Empowerment Enrichment model, students become more secure, more self-aware and more empathetic. They will become positive contributors to their communities and develop a greater understanding of themselves and the world they live in.

Biographical Sketch

About Jeffrey L. Jordan

Mr. Jordan established The Goodworx Foundation in 2005, a non-profit organization that provided mentoring & educational services to children & young adults. His non-profit organization focused on life-skills & mentoring and developed specific programming focused on nutrition and healthy lifestyles for children and their families.

In 2011, Mr. Jordan became a certified health & nutrition counselor. He founded Nourished Life Design, a holistic health, wellness, & life-coaching company with a concentration on the development and balance of the Mind, Body, & Spirit. His online training program, The Mind, Body, Spirit Transformation MasterClass was launched in 2015 and his Podcast "A Nourished Life: Transformational tales from across the world" will launch later this year.

Jeffrey is a National speaker with a unique platform inspiring educators and youth program staff to look at a holistic approach to youth development. His mission is to inspire an awareness of the Mind, Body, & Spirit balance to student, as well as staff, programming.

Keyword Descriptors

Youth development, Mentoring, Life-coaching, Holistic development, Youth program development

Presentation Year

2017

Start Date

3-7-2017 4:00 PM

End Date

3-7-2017 5:30 PM

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Mar 7th, 4:00 PM Mar 7th, 5:30 PM

Nutritional Empowerment; Integrating the Mind-Body-Spirit to Elevate Student Performance

Harborside East & West

Nutritional Empowerment Enrichment is a holistic approach to creating a well-rounded student. By developing the mind (mindfulness/mindset), strengthening the body (nutrition/exercise), and fueling the spirit (connection/community) of each child, the student will increase their awareness, connection, and commitment to the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of development and growth.

OBJECTIVES / OUTCOMES:

Objective #1- At the completion of the workshop/presentation, the participant will be able to implement daily fun and interactive mindfulness activities such as breathing, sharing acts of kindness, and displays of gratitude (MIND).

Objective #2- At the completion of the workshop/presentation, the participant will be able to implement kid-friendly yoga and stretching practices, education on healthy food choices for students and parents (on a budget), and safe appropriate exercise activities within the classroom or program space (BODY).

Objective #3- At the completion of the workshop/presentation, the participant will be able to implement daily team-building exercises, introductory meditation practices, and community service orientated short-form projects (SPIRIT).