Texas Border Business
Research shows that where you live, work, learn and play have a significant impact on health and wellness, especially for young people. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Edinburg RGV, we’re leveling the playing field by providing youth with access to critical opportunities that foster essential social and emotional skills that enable them to build relationships, identify and express themselves, make responsible decisions and be positive agents of change in their own lives.
The Club employ formal and informal methods to power skill development through hands-on experiences. Social and emotional development is incorporated throughout the Club environment, targeted in intentional programming and integrated with other programs to support skills practice and reinforcement.
For instance, our Triple Play program funded by United Way of South Texas is a great example of this concept. Last week’s Triple Play Olympic Day celebrated holistic health and wellness. More than 300 Club youth participated in a series of wellness activities. The event, Triple Play Olympic Day, kicked off a series of events taking place at Boys & Girls Clubs in Edinburg throughout the summer to elevate the importance of youth development during out-of-school time in addressing health outcomes in America.
Despite a consistent upward trend for life expectancy during the past thousand years, today’s rates of chronic disease and health crises, like opioid addiction, put the U.S. in a position to face a potential decline in life expectancy. A variety of factors contribute to a person’s overall health and risk for health concerns. Research shows that certain factors, like socio-economic status and environmental factors or social determinants of health (where you live, work, learn, play) can have a profound impact – especially on adolescents who are particularly sensitive to negative social and environmental conditions. Young people growing up in communities facing higher rates of negative factors, like safety concerns and trauma, and greater social and economic barriers, are most at-risk.
Triple Play is designed to deliver health promotion and programming to help youth create opportunities to take charge of their personal health and wellness. Through a ‘whole child’ approach, the program teaches the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition, and enables youth to build the social and emotional skills needed to overcome environmental factors that can negatively impact health and wellness.
During Triple Play Olympic Day, Club staff brought the program to life with fun and engaging activities based on its three primary pillars: Healthy Habits (Mind), Daily Challenges (Body), and Social Recreation (Soul).
Through Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth Outcomes Initiative, which measures Club and program impact using a common set of research-informed indicators, research shows that club members who participate in Triple Play report significant improvements in their health-related habits.
“Triple Play has a proven track record of helping kids improve their health and wellbeing by making positive decisions – from abstaining from alcohol and drug use to becoming more physically active,” said Adriana Rendon, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Edinburg RGV. “Through Triple Play Olympic Day and other events throughout the summer and school year, we’re continuing our commitment to building a healthier generation.”
