YLI has given me a
lot of experience and has taught me how to help my community. Being part of the
store makeover campaign has taught me how important stores are in our community
and I believe that they should always promote healthy choices first.
It’s very important
for us to recognize the stores that do make healthier choices easier to find because
many stores don’t provide any healthy choices at all. Healthy choices, especially in low-income
communities such as North Fair Oaks, should be everywhere we go because now we
are seeing high rates of obesity affecting our younger generations. If we want
to create a healthy community, it is fundamental to help the stores in the neighborhood
because we can teach them how to provide healthy choices, and it not only benefits
the stores but also everyone living nearby.
During the process of the store makeovers I was
fascinated by what we were doing because I knew I was doing a job to help
improve my community but we were also really getting to know the store owners
and became like family with them. Working on the store makeovers helped me both
professionally and personally because I feel very proud of myself for helping
my community to grow and be more successful, and I also know that I have
learned a lot of new skills and knowledge that will help me in the future.
My favorite part of the store makeovers was when
we were planning the layout arrangements for the stores, looking for furniture,
equipment, & baskets, and choosing banners. Trying to figure out and plan how
it should look kept me very excited to finish it to see the results! I recommend
young teens to get involved with YLI or start projects like this in their own
community.
The Healthy Neighborhood Stores Network will
benefit everyone who lives in North Fair Oaks because we are helping the
community be a safer place for families to live.
~Kassy, YLI Youth Advocate
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