2017
Unis-Cité, France’s pioneering civic service nonprofit, offers youths the chance to get involved in public interest missions in France.
Initiative supported: Deployment of the “Les Vitaminés” civic service program in the Haut de France region of France.
The program encourages children to adopt a healthy diet and a physically active lifestyle to avoid becoming overweight and obese.
Funding from the Foundation will help to continue the program for a second year, furthering it in Grande-Synthe, Mazingarbe and Bully-les-Mines, and extending it in Dunkirk, in priority neighborhoods.
The mission of the 28 Civic Service Volunteers dispatched in 2018 is to reach out to children and their families in a positive, fun and shared way, to get them involved in managing their health.
Efforts led by young “Vitaminés” teams include fun after-school snack times, entertainment, and educational events at the school canteen, physical exercise on Wednesdays, and individual support for volunteer families. The goal is to build lasting ties with participating children and parents to get them to progressively change behaviors.
Social impact: Goal is to raise awareness among an additional 1,200 kids, aged six to 11, and to train 28 Civic Service volunteers, ages 18 to 25.
