My team thought the wording of the priority judgmental. They took out “responsibility” and raised the bar from “maintaining” to enhancing. Their proposed priority reads, “Empower more people to enhance their health.” By building on strengths, people can leave stymied life roles behind, and move forward through trust-based relationships.

Of the ten Healthy Polk 2020 goals identified in 2009, this is the broadest, and the only one that addresses lifestyle and behavior. That’s where Switch comes in. It’s by Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick, a book I’ve loved, shared, and used as reference for several years. Switch frames research about how change happens around a metaphor of elephant and rider.

All that Priority #8 of Healthy Polk 2020 seeks to change is, well, just the way we take care of our health, not just our physical health. My expert team defined health in broad terms, not just metabolic risk factors or healthy weight, but in terms of mental, spiritual, cultural and financial health. That’s where Thrive comes in.

Dan Buettner has conducted research all over the world, traveling to communities where people live the longest, happiest lives. One result is Thrive. Another is the Blue Zones Web site where it’s easy to spend a chunk of time, learning about yourself, and the things you can do to be healthier and happier. The Expert Team aligned their definition of health with the research of the Blue Zones project, addressing community, flow, meaningful work and other life style choices.

One of the cool things that happened with my Healthy Polk work is that about the same time we were wrapping up our work, Governor Branstad launched the Healthiest State initiative, and Wellmark announced funding for the Iowa BlueZones Project, through which ten Iowa communities will be able to develop tools and programs to live longer, happier lives.

Another gap my team identified was that neighborhoods and communities are not empowered to support and promote health. The action needed to close this gap needs further definition, but the vision is for churches, schools and neighborhood associations to develop networks that support healthy habits. Which is where the third book comes in. Connected explores the profound effect that our friends have on us. The research that caught my eye first is that people who hang out with obese people tend to gain weight. It makes sense, but surprised me nonetheless.

As my team discussed what “more people” meant, they envisioned a ripple effect, beginning with us, and spreading through our community organizations and friends. What do YOU think we need to do to start that ripple? Do you want to be a part of it? Let’s do it!

The garage is organized enough to find the snow shovels, but the kayak REALLY needs to learn to hang from the rafters. Is there still time to plant some of those seeds that didn’t make it into the ground last spring?

An irresistible urge to buy new notebooks and pencils. Can I rationalize a new computer and cellphone? When IS that next iPhone coming out???

I am seeking visual order. I tend to be a big-picture person, and very field dependent. so it’s hard for me to function amidst clutter. My daughter moved much of her four-bedroom farmhouse into the Hostel Taco (my house) this summer. She worked hard to put it away, but there seems to have been an explosion in the studio, and I don’t know where to start! I was sorting old photos when spring arrived, and they are still strewn over the red tables. Now other layers are encroaching. Remnants of sewing projects. Candidates for EBay and Craigslist. Ironing??? It’s time to get the house ready to spend more time in. Sort, toss, and drive loads to the DAV.

My grandparents’ lives depended on “putting things by.” I have potatoes to dig, and tomatoes that will surely stay green forever. I hope my tiny volunteer butternut squash will grow to eating size before the first killing frost. Is there still time to put in some fall lettuce and kale? Oh boy! There’s still time. For a couple more days!

I need to establish a new routine after this chaotic summer. Start with morning pages? That feels good. A walk or yoga? Maybe. Time for spiritual connection. I started my painting class with a self portrait I’ve worked on for nearly a year. The Martha looking out at me is angry. I have plans for her.

When she was ten, Amiya Alexander woke her mother at 1 in the morning–”I need a pink bus!” She already had a business plan and a design for her mobile dance studio. Her single mom found a way to give her that bus for Christmas, and she has been providing affordable dance lessons in it ever since. Her motivation–attacking the obesity epidemic.

This morning’s Des Moines Register ran a story about Joanne Schafer and her trips to Haiti. She has traveled there more than 100 times since 1991. Along with antibiotics and education, she is giving “A Little Piece of [Her] Heart” to the people of Haiti.

A few weeks ago I wrote about Katie Spotz, the young woman who rowed her boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Now she is riding her bike amazing distances. Having her bike stolen didn’t stop her either. She is raising money for clean water in developing countries. Rachel Naomi Remen says, “What if the small things that you can do are exactly what is needed to heal the world?”

If you are inspired to heal the world, here are some possible places to start–

• RandomKid, founded by Talia Lehman helps kids help other kids around the world
• GoTo Service Learning is a joint project of Youth Service America, State Farm and America’s Promise. The Web site has helpful information and ideas for kids and teachers that want to do service projects.
• The National Youth Leadership Council sponsors the 22nd Annual National Service Learning Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on April 6-9, 2011. Their early bird registration ends December 17. The Whyld Girls have been inspired by this conference for several years.

On this post you’ll find the Evaluation Tools for Chrysalis After-School Programs for Spring 2010

• Spring Survey–Due May 31
• CAS Parent Survey–Due June 10, 2010. Please have at least ten parents complete the survey online. You can also download the Parent Survey, have parents return it to you and input their answers on the online survey yourself.
• CAS Data Collection Template, Middle School–Due June 10, 2010
• CAS Year-End Facilitator Survey–Due June 10, 2010–You’ll need to locate your Program Improvement Plan Form to complete this survey. All middle school groups must complete one of these forms per group–

1. Brody Middle School
2. Carlisle Middle School
3. Children and Families Urban Ministries
4. GEEZ Louise!
5. Goodrell Middle School
6. Harding Middle School
7. Hiatt Middle School
8. Holy Family School
9. Hoyt Middle School
10. McCombs Middle School
11. Merrill Middle School
12. Moulton Whyld Girls
13. Southeast Polk Junior High School
14. Woodside Middle School
15. Young Women’s Resource Center

Evaluation Tools for Elementary School Groups–

CAS Data Collection Template Elementary 09 to complete before June 10, 2010.

CAS Year-End Elementary School Group Facilitators Survey to complete before June 10, 2010.

I hope this will make it easy for you all to provide honest feedback about the program. Please leave your comments as well as completing surveys and spreadsheets. I appreciate all of your hard work.

Each year the Chrysalis Foundation sponsors a spring event for the After-School groups they support throughout central Iowa. The purpose is to:

• Celebrate and share successes of the girls, the groups and the women who support them
• Recognize girls who are making successful transitions to middle school, junior high and high school
• Share and learn about each other, women’s history, program ideas and successes and the big picture of Chrysalis After-School

This year girls and group facilitators are planning the event. We’re working on the speaker and location, and the date is tied to those two decisions. To keep everyone in the loop, this post will be updated as we make decisions. We hope you’ll leave comments and ideas to make the event GREAT! Here is information for you to download–

• HerStory 2010 – directions
• HerStory Committee 2010
• Chrysalis HerStory Planning Notes February 3, 2010
• HerStory Committee Notes February 17, 2010; next meeting is March 10 @ 4:30 pm
• HerStory committee notes, March 10 & 30, 2010; go to Doodle to help schedule the next meeting

• Do you have a group of youth that might be interested in creating social change, but isn’t sure? Check out Ashoka’s Youth Venture as a first step and contact Community! Youth Concepts to schedule a 45 minute Dream It. Do It. workshop. This sounds like a great step for groups that are thinking of coming to the Iowa Outdoor Youth Summit!
• The Iowa Outdoor Youth Summit was held at Springbrook Conservation Center on April 10 and 11. Groups from across Iowa put together both local and state plans for addressing “Nature Deficit Disorder.”
• We used the Outdoor Bill of Rights Survey to plan the Summit; you can take it here, and see the results here.
• The Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service is Lead Agency for Global Youth Service Day April 23-25, 2010. GYSD has a lot of resources for planning a project--an interactive project guide, grant opportunities, and a brainstorming tool.
• The National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) has standards for quality practice for service learning. The NYLC sponsors an annual conference; this year “Inspire. Imagine. Innovate.” will be held in San Jose, California March 24-27. Several Chrysalis After-School groups have attended in 2008 and 2009.

Well, that’s a start. It doesn’t take much surfing to find lots of inspiration and help for  getting involved in service learning; check it out!

Unfortunately, the number of women in engineering is still much lower than the number of men. Engineer Girl is trying to change that with this Web site where girls can explore careers in engineering on-line. The site is sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering and has places to explore engineering work–

• Sea World
• Chocolate
• Aerospace

You can ask real questions of real women at Ask an Engineer, and Engineer Your Life has video profiles of female engineers. The Web site is easy to navigate and has a lot of information–

• Especially for middle school girls
• How to become an engineer–
  • Preparing for college
  • Why become an engineer?
  • Scholarships and financial aid
• Resources for counselors and parents

CAS Spring Evaluation–

Please watch this space for the data collection tools for spring. Everything is due by June 10, 2010.

CAS Data Collection Template Middle School 09–Please complete before June 10, 2010. You might want to take a look at it now so you know what you need to collect.

CAS Parent Survey–Since moms and dads know their daughters better than anyone (or at least we hope they do), we are asking them for their impressions of how Chrysalis After-School affects their daughters. We ask that each CAS group to have at least ten parents complete the survey online. You can also download the Parent Survey, have parents return it to you and input it yourself. We’ve gotten some very helpful and positive feedback from parents, and it’s a great help for telling the Chrysalis After-School story.

CAS Spring Event Planning–

On the CAS Fall Girls’ Survey, more than 120 girls said they would like to help plan the HerStory and Girl Power events. Terry Hernandez and the Chrysalis Foundation have asked us to combine the events this year and take charge of them. Now is the time to begin planning and it will take all of us to pull it off. The first planning deadline is February 1, 2010. Please download the CAS Spring Event Planning Process and use it to collect your group’s input for the event. Please take the opportunity to use one of the planning processes from the Quality Counts training and/or the Good for Girls Program Guide. Please return the completed form to me by February 1, 2010. The purposes of the event are to:

• Celebrate and share successes of girls, groups and women
• Recognize girls who are making successful transitions to middle school, junior high or high school
• Share and learn about each other, women’s history, program ideas and successes, each other and the big picture of Chrysalis After-School

Evaluation Tools for Middle School Groups–

You can download an electronic version of the Youth Program Quality Assessment Program Improvement Plan Form here. Please email or mail it to Martha by January 15, 2010. My address is Next Step, 3615 Adams Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50310.

Please complete the CAS Mid-Year Facilitator Survey here. This survey provides data on the amount of time you’re spending with the girls and perhaps most importantly, anecdotal data that I can use to better tell the Chrysalis After-School story. That’s one of MY goals for 2010!

Here is the Fall Survey for the middle school girls. Please have your group complete the survey between September 28 and October 31, 2009. If you have girls join the group during the year, it would be great if you have them complete the survey soon after they join. The Spring Survey will be available in mid-April, and you’ll have a month during which to complete it. You can review the Girls’ Fall Survey Results here.

Here is the CAS Data Collection Template Middle School 09 to complete before June 10, 2010. You might want to take a look at it now so you know what you need to collect.

Evaluation Tools for Elementary School Groups–

CAS Data Collection Template Elementary 09 to complete before June 10, 2010.

CAS Year-End Elementary School Group Facilitators Survey to complete before June 10, 2010.

I hope this will make it easy for you all to provide honest feedback about the program. Please leave your comments as well as completing surveys and spreadsheets. I appreciate all of your hard work.

Mind maps and similar concepts have been used for centuries for learning, brainstorming, enhancing memory, and problem solving by educators, engineers, psychologists…But Tony Buzan made them popular. They are used more in Europe than in the US, but I recommend them especially to kinesthetic and visual thinkers.

Mind mapping has many applications for personal and business use. Because ideas are added into the map radially around a central idea or theme without the implicit prioritization that comes from outlining–summarizing, revising and clarifying thoughts and ideas come naturally to the mind mapper.

Mind maps have been useful to me in a number of ways–

• working with groups to generate ideas
• taking notes during classes and workshops
• brainstorming and prioritizing to do lists
• planning workshops

The workshops I facilitate on mind mapping and other keys to creativity, are geared to your unique group, and provide background and rationale, group and individual practice time, ideas for tapping into your creativity and FUN!

–Martha McCormick

• Resilience
• Economic Empowerment
• Leadership

Girls, facilitators and parents are seeing positive changes in confidence, communication skills, school attendance and work, and in their leadership qualities, skills and behavior. These outcomes are the result of serious work at the front lines–facilitators have attended training, put it into practice and set goals for continuous improvement. They have involved the girls in planning and leading the groups and the girls have stepped up, led discussions, games and committees, and written applications for funding.

The Chrysalis Foundation Board, under the leadership of Terry Hernandez and the Education Committee, have examined the findings from previous years, made adjustments and committed 2/3 of their grant dollars to the program for each of the next three years.

If you would like to read the entire report, please download it here–

• Chrysalis After-School Headlines 2009
• Chrysalis After-School Executive Summary 2009
• CAS Report to the Community 2009