BAPS Charities Empowers Media Smart Youth at
Children’s Health & Safety Day

Lilburn, GA – August 8, 2015 – BAPS Charities, Atlanta hosted its Children’s Health & Safety Day on August 8th, 2015. The event’s theme focused on the increasing influence of media on youth lifestyle and habits, and provided them with knowledge and tools to use technology wisely. The goal of the event was to help local youth become “media smart” as they navigate what is healthy and unhealthy, ultimately getting them to “Eat, Think, and Be Active!”

Highlights of the event included emergency vehicle tours, interactive workshops, and insightful presentations throughout the day. It also gave attendees the unique opportunity to participate and engage in activities as well as other fun, educational sessions that incorporate the necessity of safe and healthy lifestyle.

BAPS Charities welcomed 126 participants including youth, parents, and caretakers at the Children’s Health & Safety Day held in Lilburn, GA. In 2015, the local center is one of twenty-two participating centers in North America to partake in this program.

A total of 30 volunteers and healthcare professionals took part in the event. In addition to supporting First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign and the We CAN! initiative which the program focused on in 2013, this year’s Children’s Health & Safety Day supported the National Institute of Health’s Media Smart Youth campaign, encouraging youth to “Eat, Think, and Be Active!” The theme incorporated different learning workshops, scenario-based simulations, and motivated the youth to engage in conversations with firemen, police officers, doctors and other professionals they may have once feared. The curriculum throughout the day allowed the youth to understand how the media plays a major role in shaping their values about nutrition and physical activities. Through interactive sessions they were also encouraged to think critically and make healthy lifestyle choices.

Learning while having fun with their peers, children are more likely to consider eating healthy, become more active, think critically when watching advertisements, read labels, and more. Through a close-up tour of emergency vehicles ranging from fire trucks to air EMS helicopter, the youth were also given a well-rounded overview with tips from these emergency responders.

Meanwhile, parents and caretakers were in separate learning sessions to explore best practices in reinforcing and integrating many of the topics their children were getting to learn. The booths that taught children on proper dental hygiene, fire safety and seatbelt safety impressed parents.

The event encouraged their whole family to live a healthier, safer, and more united lifestyle. Each family that attended walked away with a unique and personal experience, which would encourage them to generate positive habits.

About BAPS Charities:

BAPS Charities is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit international charity organization committed to sincerely serving the world by caring for individuals, families, and communities. It is affiliated with BAPS as an independent charity and social services arm. The 55,000 BAPS volunteers networked in over 3,300 centers around the world provide over 12 million volunteer-hours of service annually.

Among social service charities, BAPS Charities is a well-respected and trusted name. It has amassed over 50 years of firsthand experience in initiating, managing, and sustaining 160 humanitarian operations throughout the world in such diverse fields as: medical services, environmental services, community services, tribal services, and disaster relief services.

For additional information on BAPS Charities and its international and local philanthropic activities, please visit www.bapscharities.org