Whole person health involves empowering individuals, families, communities, and populations to improve their health in multiple interconnected biological, behavioral, social, and environmental areas. Support of whole person health can be preventative not curative, based on the principle that prevention is the best way to improve wellness and enable communities to live healthy. I learned during my travels in Amman how essential it is to develop awareness materials and tools on relevant health issues that build on best practice yet are adapted and contextualized to suit the targeted communities.

In many instances, youth are not given enough platforms for their voices to be heard or to take part in sustainable solution decisions concerning the future — a future they will be a part of. In Amman, I met with several organizations that take different approaches to engaging children, helping them to be more involved, equipped and resourced so that they can meaningfully contribute towards the change required to address the inequalities within our society and advance progress forward.

My time in Amman highlighted that it is critical to invest in cultural and social innovation to positively impact communities through education. Specifically, change we want to see in the world can be inspire through thought leadership, motivating communities to seek knowledge through a scholarship and arts. I had the privilege of meeting with several organizations that have developed responses to the lack of educational opportunities and learning spaces in underserved communities in Jordan.

Learning to enjoy physical activity at a young age can set the foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits. I met with 3 organizations that support effective strategies that make it easier for everyone in their community to be physically active: Jordan Olympic Committee, Jordan Football Association and PACES. These organizations seek to promote policies that increase equitable access to physical education and youth sports programming in community settings strategically.

I had the privilege to teach fitness classes to groups of kids at Imbeleko Academy and iSimangaliso Wetland Park. After the class, I discussed with the kids to get their feedback. This dialogue had two key objective. First, I wanted to ensure they understood the mind-body connection and realized that while we were working out, they were experiencing a boost in emotional regulation, behavioral health, positive outlook, calmness Second, I hoped to encourage them to make being active a part of daily life so they can create habits that allow them to manage tensions or stressors and release them through movement and breath.

Kwa Mashu Community Advancement Projects, or K-CAP, is a youth integrated arts and multimedia empowerment organization with a purpose to discover, develop and expose artists towards sustainable employment opportunities and provide creative, quality arts and entertainment to the community. While visiting K-CAP, student performers provide an impromptu music performance and dance performance. Then, I became part of the performance myself!

Kliptown Youth Program works to provide opportunities to develop personal and leadership skills. The youth in Kliptown are vulnerable to both the economic conditions as well as the fact that they lack access to quality education that would foster critical human skills development such as communication, collaboration and problem solving. KYP provides these life skills through education, which results in improved outcomes in school, work, life and communities.

One of the most innovative pieces of work done by Heartlines, a South Africa-based NGO, is the way in which it uses research before and after initiatives to promote and measure success. Research and monitoring and evaluation are an important part of all the work at Heartlines. They use research in all aspects of their projects, from design through to implementation.

I met with Dr. Linda Nkomo, CEO of New loveLife Trust, and Julia Nkosi, Founder and CEO of Dare Restoring Worth NPC. In these two particular meetings, an idea started to crystallize: what if my project could have a particular focus on stakeholder management? I have sensed a gap in the ability of organizations to connect all of the various parties that would support their missions and contribute to success. Perhaps I can help bridge that gap by sharing what I learned about bridging gaps between children, parents or caregivers, schools, educators, non-profit leadership and staff, community leaders, government and other key players who must be engaged for a fitness or wellness program for kids to work.

The Character Company is building communities by building character in individuals. The Character Company's goal is to help to change South Africa's current culture of violence and abuse through an initiative for boys helping them to grow into good men by instilling honorable values. I had the opportunity to see a weekend camp hosted by The Character Company. The Character Company hosts a camp three weekends each month in Johannesburg. For Eisenhower Fellow Sbu Myeni, this was a great opportunity to spend quality time with these boys and speak into their lives.

The Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust, or HACT, is doing amazing work for those impacted by HIV/AIDS. It was important for me to see HCAT’s work in action as it relates to prevention, family strengthening and skills development. Amongst all of the life-saving programs offered, the Goals 4 Life program uses soccer to engage youth in activity-based learning, building trust and creating safe spaces where children and young people feel comfortable asking questions, sharing opinions, and supporting their peers.

Although my project is not focused on sustainability, there is an undeniable link between my work supporting health and others’ work promoting environmental safety. One of the more direct links between sustainability and wellness is in the food we eat. I also discovered a link between my project and plants.

Exploring aspects of how we educate at the University of Cape Town was fascinating! I met with researchers for a first-hand look at how they use exercise science to assess and attack barriers to fitness and nutrition activities, and I met with a current UCT student to hear about the opportunities and challenges from primary school to university.

I learned about Sporting Chance, an organization that believes that sport speaks a universal language, which breaks down barriers and cuts through income and ethnic divides. Sporting Chance has developed remarkable initiatives to promote athletic activity in schools - particularly underserved schools who do not have funding for physical education.

I started my Eisenhower Fellowship by visiting a bike club for teenage girls created by Khaltsha Cycles. The girls are an awe-inspiring group of young women - strong, brave, courageous, confident, thoughtful, strategic, empathetic and relentless. They maintain that being able to ride bikes has changed their lives.

Recently, I met with Sbu Myeni, co-founder and CEO of Imbeleko Foundation, which strives to empower children and youth from rural communities through education. She reminded me of why I am doing this fellowship! My project will explore how to design a scalable and sustainable program for minority children that is culturally sensitive, healing centered and not cost prohibitive - giving them access to programs that may not be otherwise available to them so that they never need to decide between basic necessities and enrichment activities, and can access resources to stay healthy, learn discipline and manage physical and mental wellness in a dignified way.

I was recently awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship! The Fellowship will be sending me to live for one month in South Africa and Jordan to meet with leaders and research fitness and wellness programs for kids in underserved communities.