The Nestlé Jamaica Health and Wellness Foundation hosted 590 kids at its inaugural Nestlé for Healthier Kids (N4HK) Unstoppable Kids Camp, inspiring kids to lead healthier lives through a series of engaging educational games and activities.
Run as a series of one-day action-packed events over a two-week period, the Nestlé for Healthier Kids camp is anchored in strong nutritional and behavioral science and aims to encourage the adoption of 6 healthier habits, ranging from being more active to choosing water.
Speaking at the camp, Annalee Gray-Brown, Nutrition Specialist at Nestlé Jamaica explained “We know that the habits formed in childhood will have a large impact on future health, and we also believe that parents and caregivers do understand that good nutrition and physical activity are key to their children’s successful future. But many face challenges to make these healthy habits a part of everyday life. Theory is one thing, and practice is another. This is where our camp fits in – supporting parents and caregivers on their journey to raise healthier kids through helping children adopt healthier habits.”
The camp offered a maximum supervisor to child ratio of 1 supervisor to 8 children, ensuring each child received the attention required to fully engage in activities and maximize the learning opportunities presented. The camp was also free of charge, with kids bringing in empty juice cartons to be used in activities, and open to children between the ages of 6-12. Activities included:
- Unstoppable Kids Obstacle Course, encouraging kids to be physically active and highlighting the fun in exercise through obstacles such as lime and spoon races, hurdles, hula-hoops and more
- Food Groups Arts & Crafts, where children learn about the 6 food groups, portion control, healthy snacking and hydration through building their own balanced meals using stickers to create healthy plates
- Kids in the Kitchen, teaching children good hygiene, hand washing technique, table setting, and the importance of eating together as a family, through cooking vegetable pizza toast and callaloo pockets
- 5Rs Treasure Hunt, searching for clues that teach kids about the 5Rs – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot; choosing the right recycling bin in a team race and pledging to keep the environment clean
- Food Feud, a game show styled activity that brings awareness to kids on the portions they are consuming, and what a healthy portion looks like for each food group
Closing the camp on Friday, Garfene Grandison, Manager of the Nestlé Jamaica Health and Wellness Foundation said “The best part of this really has been seeing the reactions on the faces of the kids, seeing how engaged they were with each activity and hearing them tell their parents what they learned at the end of the day. We are committed to helping Jamaica raise a generation of healthier kids, committed to making a difference, and these moments really inspire us to continue. We’re looking forward to hosting this camp for even more children next year.”
About Nestlé For Healthier Kids (N4HK)
Nestlé for Healthier Kids is our flagship initiative through which we federate all our efforts to support parents and caregivers on their journey to raise healthier kids. The initiative is wide-ranging, and includes nutrition education for families, product innovation and behavior change programs, such as our N4HK Unstoppable Kids Camp. Our global ambition is to help 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030. This ambition focuses on two areas – transforming our product portfolio and supporting parents and caregivers to help raise kids with healthier eating and lifestyle habits.
About Nestlé Jamaica Health and Wellness Foundation
The Nestlé Jamaica Health and Wellness Foundation is a non-profit organization, whose vision is to be recognized as Jamaica’s leading socially responsible company focused on Nutrition, Health and Wellness. The Nestlé for Healthier Kids Programme in Jamaica is managed through the foundation.
