![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090514033219im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Temple University, Center for Intergenerational Learning
Projects
Project Title: Environmental Health Coaches Program
Project Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Applicant Information: Center for Intergenerational Learning, Temple University
Type of Applicant: State Controlled Institution of Higher Learning
Total Grant: $24,662.00
Brief Summary: The project will mobilize older adults from low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia to educate elementary school children about environmental hazards that endanger community health. A corps of 15-20 older adults will be recruited from neighborhoods that have been identified as having the highest rates of asthma and diabetes to serve as Environmental Health Coaches. The older adult participants will engage in a 12-week training program designed to increase their knowledge about the effects of environmental hazards on public health, enhance their ability to utilize the arts to effectively educate children, and build their skills as community leaders. They will then work with teachers at 3-5 area elementary schools to engage approximately 140 children in a series of workshops intended to increase their knowledge about environmental triggers for chronic health conditions and help them develop action steps to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.
Environmental Outcomes: The project will recruit and train 15-20 older adults from low-income Philadelphia communities targeted by the STEPS for a Healthier Philadelphia Initiative to become Environmental Health Coaches. The Center for Intergenrational Learning will prepare a 12-week curriculum training program at Temple University which will focus on the relationship between environmental hazards and chronic diseases using interactive and artistic techniques that have been successful in working with young children in skill development in areas of community assessment and public speaking. Approximately 150 elementary school students will be involved in workshops designed to raise awareness of environmental hazards and increase their understanding of steps they can take to protect themselves from these toxicants.
Final Reports