From classrooms to living rooms across Fort Worth, students and families tuned in to the Blue Zones Project Virtual Family Summit in November and early December to learn fun and simple ways to get healthy together.
The annual event offered something for every generation through a series of short videos based on best practices for better well-being. It included tips for easy ways to get active, shopping for and cooking nutritious meals, the value of sleep, and ideas for making reading a part of family time. This year, the summit received more than 1,900 video views, the highest engagement since the event went virtual in 2020. Popular topics included the 1-Mile At-Home Walk, Healthy Food on a Budget, the Funky Cowboy Country Line Dance, Indoor/Outdoor Movement Ideas for Kids, and Balloon Volleyball.
Blue Zones Project is a community well-being improvement initiative led locally by North Texas Healthy Communities (the outreach arm of Texas Health Resources). There is this myth that well-being is hard work but there are a lot of easy, fun ways to keep your family healthy by doing things together,” said Matt Dufrene, vice president of Blue Zones Project Fort Worth. “The summit offers practical tips and activities to engage students, their parents and grandparents, and their extended families.”
More than 40 schools got involved this year, with participation from Fort Worth ISD, Keller ISD, and the Scholastic Academy homeschool program—representing 15,000 students in all. Fort Worth ISD’s “Fort Worth After School” program and the district’s Health and Physical Education Department even helped plan and develop summit programming. Parents shared how the videos will shape their families’ routines into the new year and beyond. “I like the tips on how to establish an indoor walk at home,” said one participant. Another appreciated the “different ideas to add [healthy foods] to my meals and stretch our money.” Other parents praised the videos that gave them new ways to play with their children. “The Funky Cowboy was my favorite, because it was a fun activity to do with the kids,” said one parent. “Family time is important.”
Tarrant County residents and schools who took part in the event were eligible for prizes such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and a campus-wide well-being project.
And the fun isn’t over. The Blue Zones Project Virtual Family Summit is still available for at-home streaming, with options in English and Spanish. Check out the Blue Zones Project Fort Worth YouTube channel for a full list of options, including videos on hand-eye coordination, “kitchen sink science,” Yoga Para Todos (Yoga for Everyone), the benefits of youth soccer, a quick-and-easy full-body workout, and healthy snacks kids will enjoy. For even more ways to boost your well-being, visit LiveLongFortWorth.com.