Why is eating good food so hard?

A story created by Jennifer Warpinski from the Fitness and Nutrition Coalition of Outagamie County.

Speed Date review: Social Media and Collaborative Communication Tools

Julie Swanson from the Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Services offered coalitions an opportunity to "speed date" social media and collaborative communication tools during our Tuesday, Dec. 21st Coalition Teleconference.

Social Media Tools

• Blogs use to publish information (ex. http://hip-eatmovelive.blogspot.com/)
• RSS (real simple syndication) use to keep up to date on blogs (ex. use a reader like Google Reader to follow blogs you're interested in)
• Micro-Blog use to get out quick updates to a mass audience (ex. http://www.twitter.com/)
• Photo sharing use to share photos with colleagues and/or find photos for documents or presentations (ex. http://www.flickr.com/, https://posterous.com/)
• Video sharing use to share video — spread excitement and model action (ex. http://www.youtube.com/, http://www.vimeo.com/)
• Social Networks provide an online community that connects you with other people (ex. http://www.facebook.com/)

Collaborative Communication Tools

• RSVP Tools provide easy, fast way to set up meetings (ex. http://www.meetingwizard.com/)
• Survey use to collect data in real time (ex. www.surveymonkey.com)
• Collaborative calendars, documents, wikis, and video chat make planning and editing collaborative and communication easier (ex. Google)
  

What social media and collaborative communication tools do your coalitions use? Please share examples of blogs, wikis, websites, etc. Click on Comment below to respond.

Health Eating Active Living Coalition of Pierce County was named as something that is positively impacting health in River Falls. Read the article in the River Falls Journal:
http://www.riverfallsjournal.com/event/article/id/97172/

A River Falls area health care provider held nine sessions across its Minnesota and western Wisconsin service region. Collective attendance totaled 260 people representing businesses, non-profit organizations, schools and government entities.

Participants were asked what is positively impacting health in their community and what barriers to health exist in their community.

"Those responding cited the things they think positively impacts health in River Falls: The Kinnickinnic River, the Free Clinic, sports activities for youth and adults, the YMCA, and the Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition focused on improving nutrition and increasing activities."

In terms of barriers, "most said cutting physical education in schools has had a two-way negative effect on kids’ health; not only are they not getting exercise in school but also don’t learn the lessons and skills they need to be active."

Child Nutrition Reauthorization: Putting the Act into Action!

The Food Research and Action Center is launching a series of Webinars, titled CNR: Putting the Act into Action, that will examine the provisions of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act signed by the President this week.

The first Webinar is scheduled for 12 p.m. CST on Friday, Dec. 17th.

Speakers for Friday's Webinar include:
Jim Weill, President, Food Research and Action Center
Geri Henchy, Director of Nutrition Policy and Early Childhood Programs
Crystal FitzSimons, Director of School and Out-of-School Time Programs

Register for the Webinar here: https://frac.peachnewmedia.com/store/seminar/seminar.php?seminar=6772

Active Schools Initiative: Advocacy Training

We had an outstanding turn-out for our first Advocacy Training last Thursday, Dec. 9th!

Highlights:

• Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake kicked off the meeting talking about the importance of obesity prevention work, educational advocacy, and policy change.


• What's the difference between Educational Advocacy and Lobbying? Our trainers for the day Jill Ness, Melissa Horn and Steve Elliott laid out the rules of the road.


• Advocacy Training was a healthy training, complete with physical activity opportunity!
• Grassroots: Maintain a database of volunteers. Include name, address (so that you can determine legislative district), phone number, email, interests and special skills. Here's a sample database!
• Media Advocacy: Pitching a national story to your local media ...
  1.) Describe the issue
  2.) Take some key facts and make them your own by using local examples and making the story personal
  3.) Why is it important? Why would the listener care? How does it effect the listener or reader?
  4.) Call to action.
• Policymaker Education: Tip: When you meet with a policymaker, don’t go alone. Ensure that all attendees identify themselves as constituents/residents of the policymaker’s district and engage as many attendees as possible as speakers.

Unsolved Coalition Mysteries: Phone Banking

We spent Wednesday, Dec. 1 making training videos as part of the WI Clearinghouse for Prevention’s “Inspire Action Video Workshop” ... check out this one!

Unsolved Coalition Mysteries: Phone Banking from Tobwis on Vimeo.