Junior Attends National 4-H National Youth Summit on Healthy Living

Providence Cristo Rey junior Daisy Cortez attended the 4-H National Youth Summit on Healthy Living in Washington D.C. from February 16-19, 2018.

This Summit is one of three youth conferences facilitated by the National 4-H Center. The other two Summits focused on Makers and Agri-Science.

At the National Youth Summit on Healthy Living, students developed the knowledge and skills to address today’s health-related issues, including nutrition education, physical fitness, wellness, and emotional well-being.

As part of the Summit program, youth teams created health action plans for implementation back in their communities or states following the Summit. Daisy's team chose to focus on youth self-esteem and mental health. They named their project We ARE (Awareness, Resources, Empowerment) 4-Youth.

"We started researching health-related issues in Indiana and realized that mental health and teen suicide is a big issue. Our project is meant to help students find resources that help them with this and empower them to help others as well," said Daisy.

Notes and statistics from Daisy's group Summit action plan

Along with creating action plans, Summit attendees attended workshops, met professionals in health-related careers, and explored D.C.

Daisy's group was able to see the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial, among others.

One of her favorite parts of the Summit was meeting new people from all over the country. "I met people from Texas, Ohio, New Mexico, so many places!" she said. "It was interesting to talk to people from different cities and learn what is important to them."