Hawaii 5210 at the Kalani Health Fair

By Melissa Yago

This month on December 8th, 2016, Hawaii 5210 was invited to participate in the health fair that was organized by Kalani’s HOSA class. Nearly 150 3rd graders from Hokulani and Jefferson Elementary School attended this event to learn about how to live a healthier lifestyle from not only Hawaii 5210, but from other notable health organizations. Throughout the morning, these students gained the knowledge and understanding of what it means to be healthy. And while learning, they had an enjoyable and memorable experience.
                  The Health Fair kicked off with Zumba exercises for all the students. The 3rd graders were energized and danced along to the music. Afterward, the students were divided up into groups and sent to different booths set up by the various health organizations. They were then rotated until everyone got a chance to see each booth. While we only had 15 minutes with every group, we made sure to instill Hawaii 5210’s message to these students in a meaningful and interactive way.
                  Our presentations began with asking them if they knew Hawaii 5210’s motto, with some familiar with the motto, and others new to the message. From there, we were able to explain what the five, two, one and zero meant in our organization’s name. For five, we talked about the importance of fruits, vegetables and roots while asking them to name some examples. For two, we emphasized two hours or less of screen time while asking them to list electronics they use with a screen. For one, we asked them to have one hour of exercise a day through the sports that they played. And for zero, which students said was the hardest, was drinking zero sugary drinks. While these students had a list of juices and sodas they loved, we made sure to explain how unhealthy it is for them. Following that, we played a game of charades where students acted out a sport while their classmates figured out what it was, and another game where one student had to list out eight vegetables while their classmates could only help him/her out name them in the last few seconds. At the end of our presentation, all of them received stickers and tattoos to remember our organization and some also received water bottles for participating in our games.
                  Overall, this event was a success for Hawaii 5210!! From this experience, I feel that we were able to successfully communicate our message to the students. These students already know these facts but it is up to us to help motivate them to do it. While it is challenging to live by our motto every day, I know that these students will have our message in mind when it comes to the daily activities they do. And when they think of that message, they will hopefully opt toward the healthier decision.