Real Kids Real Food Counselor Ages 13-18 In the Fall of 2020
Working as a health counselor for RKRF, engaging teens with honest conversations about health and environmental sustainability, was a transformative experience. As a health science major, I’ve always criticized a fee-for-service system, as it completely disregards preventative care, as it depended on people to become ill to create profits. When considering preventative care, health education is critical, serving as a tool to provide people with the agency to make informed decisions regarding their health. Betsy has created an amazing and comprehensive program with great intentions, one of which being engaging teens as they learn and develop healthy habits at such a critical age of knowledge development and habit formation. Having the opportunity to serve as a counselor, while also incorporating conversations about climate justice, gave us the opportunity to have honest conversations about race, intersectionality, and politics which are embedded in these conversations. This was an opportunity that I won’t forget, and while I hope the youth received a lot from this program, I can surely say I did.