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In the US, we’re investing in the next generation through Arogya Clubs, where teens are leading health learning and shaping habits that can travel from classrooms into homes and communities. In the US, South Asians, Hispanic, and African Americans, are at very high risk for diabetes. We need to teach people healthy living long before adulthood, reaching 11-13 year olds before their lifestyle habits are set. This is why we have made reaching out to youth a strategic priority in the US.
Built on the backbone of our proven Healthy Schools program from India, we launched Arogya Clubs as structured offering in the US. Our first club began in Atlanta through a partnership with Agape Youth and Family Center, an organization that supports children from vulnerable Latino and African American communities and runs after school enrichment programs for them. This was forged by one of our big supporters – the Katarya family.
The model is simple and has student engagement and peer leadership at its core. The pilot club is driven by youth leadership in the truest sense. Six high school student leaders are delivering our 10 Healthy School program activities to forty 6th and 7th graders, turning health education into fun activities. The student leaders also cook and serve healthy meals to the Agape kids so that healthy eating becomes more “sticky” for all of them.
 
Behind the scenes, we are doing what we do best, which is to build a system that makes impact measurable. We have adapted the Healthy Schools program materials for the US context with the help of our student leaders. We have also prepared student handbooks and worksheets, trained the student leaders, and are managing baseline and endline questionnaires along with data analysis. Our partner, Agape, provides the space, access, and continuity to run the program.
At a recent club activity, we got celebrity Atlanta chef, Asha Gomez, to speak to the students about healthy cooking methods – covering baking, steaming, and roasting.
We are driving prevention for the next generation of American kids and it is powered by them. We are inspired by the dedication and sincerity shown by our pioneering Arogya Club high school student leaders – Dev Katarya (leader), Sanay Raghavan, Alok Owen, Jayan Nath, William Mogos, and Kubby Bhatia.
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