Engaging & Elevating Youth
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GENYOUth Insights
GENYOUth Insights elevates youth voice through original research on some of Gen Z’s greatest health and wellness concerns. We conduct national surveys of students ages 13-18, which reveal their knowledge, feelings, perspectives and behaviors. We then translate students’ opinions into issue-framing reports and opportunities for action. GENYOUth Insights research generates ideas, builds awareness, and channels actionable intelligence to strengthen our programs, and inform partners, youth stakeholders, and policymakers.
Uncovering and sharing knowledge and information that matters to students and schools enables us to engage stakeholders – corporations, health and wellness organizations, and individual donors – with opportunities to advocate for and fund our mission, ensuring all children are well-nourished and physically active to be their best selves.
GENYOUth’s Insights Advisory Council
David Bersoff, PhD, Head of Research, Edelman Trust Institute
Katie Brown, EdD, RDN, President, National Dairy Council (NDC)
Michelle Carter, Director, Education Content and Programs, SHAPE America
Judi Brown Clarke, Chair, National Fitness Foundation (NFF)
Jada Curd, Lived-experience Student Expert (Vanderbilt U.; former Public Information Asst, Burke Co. Public Schools
Laura DeFina, MD, FACP, FAHA, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Cooper Institute
Amanda Edelman, COO, Gen Z Lab & Associate Director, Edelman
Karen Ellis, Principal, MMS Education
Rachel Fisher, Senior Advisor, President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition at ODPHP
Jayne Greenberg, EdD, North America Chair, International Sport and Culture Association
Clarissa Hayes, Deputy Director, School & Out-of-School Time Programs, FRAC
Erin Hysom, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst, FRAC
Kayla Jackson, Project Director, American Association School Superintendents (AASA)
Sarah Lee, Team Lead/Lead Health Scientist, CDC
Donna Martin, RDN, LD, SNS, FAND; Leading School Nutrition Authority; Past President, GENYOUth Board Member
Megan Mendoza, Manager, Community Relations, National Football League (NFL)
Caitlin Merlo, Health Scientist, CDC
Andjelka Pavlovic, PhD, ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, Director of Youth, The Cooper Institute
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GENYOUth Insights
Surveys & Reports
- GENYOUth National Impact Report (2024)
- Fostering Wellness in Youth: Cultivating Healthy Eating for the Future (Spring 2024)
- The Power of Play: Supporting Physical Activity for Kids (October 2022)
- Girls and Physical Activity Research Brief (2021)
- School Nutrition Survey — Back to School Edition 2021-2022 (August 2021)
- The Impact of COVID 19 on Teens. “One Year Later” (June 2021)
- Healthier School Communities Report – What’s At Stake Now (September 2020)
- Life Disrupted: The Impact of COVID-19 on Teens (June 2020)
- Youth and the Future of Food (May 2020)
- Teens and Sleep Survey (Fall 2018)
- Trends in Health and Wellness (March 2018)
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GENYOUth National Youth Council
GENYOUth’s National Youth Council is a group of 18 middle and high school students from around the nation who amplify the voices, opinions, perspectives, and insights of Gen Z.
“This program believes in me in a way I did not know was possible, giving me the confidence & courage to follow my dreams.”
– Kayla
“I get to help kids just like me, making sure they have access to nutrition and physical activity to thrive.“
– Riley
“I work with some of the brightest young minds in the country. It gives me a feeling of belonging and inspiration to make an impact in our communities.”
– Taylor
“We can change ourselves and our school communities!”
– Harmony
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Youth-Led Solutions
Students bring perspectives that lead to new and innovative approaches to school-based health and nutrition challenges. GENYOUth, with partner support, provides opportunities and resources for youth-led solutions in schools across the U.S. Through design thinking, project management, teamwork, leadership and communications skills, students have successfully implemented initiatives reaching over 15,000 students each year, and creating change in schools and communities that last the school year and beyond.
Check out our featured projects from students across the country.
Spicing Up Your Options
School: Merit Academy (UT)
Challenge: With lunch lines too long and the lunch period too short, the team wanted to make the most of students’ time and the great meal options offered by the school.
Solution: An innovative lunchtime grab-and-go cart also surveyed students on their meal preferences. Domino’s Pizza was served twice a month, which the students loved! A new logo contest resulted in the kitchen being more open to students’ feedback. On days when the program’s food was served, fewer students left school to go to local food stores for meals and soda.
The SOAR Program
School: Gilford High School (NH)
Challenge: Embracing their role as athletes, the team encouraged kids to play sports and try new ways of being active, which positively impacted social and emotional health.
Solution: SOAR “soared” – connecting high school student athletes as mentors with 60 middle and high schoolers, and encouraging peer involvement with team building, mental health-boosting activities. New England Dairy Council provided physical activity and mental wellness handouts. SOAR’s sustainable model will continue to positively impact students for years to come.
ConNEXTion:
Connecting the Next Generation to Sustainability
School: Audubon Park School (FL)
Challenge: Team ConNEXTion tackled their peers’ lack of understanding of where their food comes from in a new and engaging way.
Solution: An interactive magazine was created featuring food-journey stories of Florida farmers and their sustainable agriculture methods. Available in school and online for students to bring home to their families, the magazine emphasized the farm to table process in school and at home.