Meet Blue Zones Project Champion, JOSH OOKA
Meet Josh Ooka, a senior at Baldwin High School who organized an “Eat Aloha, Drink Aloha, Breathe Aloha, and Live Aloha” Wellness Week to celebrate Blue Zones Project® and Healthy Living.
Video courtesy of Baldwin High School.
"As President of Baldwin High School’s HOSA, a club dedicated to explorations in the medical field for aspiring healthcare professionals, I began working with the Blue Zones Project - Central Maui to organize service projects for my club. By volunteering with the Blue Zones Project at various community events, I was immediately interested in their organization and purpose. I was astonished by the positive effects they had on the health and wellbeing of the community. In addition to being a healthy lifestyle advocate to the public, I was surprised by their effort to improve wellness in the workplace, school, and restaurant settings while also advocating in our legislation to improve our laws. As a future healthcare professional, this organization was a perfect match for me to work with, combining my interest in health and helping the community.
"Leading up to my Wellness Week, I attended an educational symposium, community leadership meeting, and many community outreach events to gain a stronger background of the Blue Zones Project. I found the Project’s methods to improve the well-being of Maui’s community innovative because it appealed to all ages and had something for anyone to become involved with. One of their focuses that stood out to me was their vape and tobacco-free campaign. Vaping has become an epidemic among teens, especially at Baldwin High School; therefore, I testified alongside Blue Zones Project in front of Maui County Council-members to propose an amendment that would include electronic smoking devices in existing smoking laws. I also became a student representative in Baldwin’s Blue Zones Project Committee to provide student input on different Blue Zones Project related activities as Baldwin High School worked to become a Blue Zones Project Approved™ school. My experiences with Blue Zones Project helped me become passionate about health advocacy, something I hope to continue at my future postsecondary university and community.
"Seeing how the Blue Zones Project was making a significant impact in the community, I wanted to implement that same culture of encouraging a healthy lifestyle in my school. Every day of my “Eat Aloha, Drink Aloha, Breathe Aloha, and Live Aloha” Wellness Week showcased a different aspect of the Blue Zones Power Nine Philosophy and Healthy Living to educate and inform the students and faculty of Baldwin High School.
"Throughout the week, activities such as a smoothie bike, fruit and vegetable sampling, tobacco-free and live aloha banner signing, flavor ban petitioning, and three prize-winning contests took place along with a daily information table. The contests were my favorite part to plan because while it encouraged student participation, for them it was a step towards a healthier lifestyle through small nudges and reminders here and there. The three contests that took place were the Blue Zones Pledge Contest awarding the class with the highest percentage of Blue Zones personal checklists turned in, a #BaldwinPower9 Instagram Contest showcasing how students demonstrate the Power 9 in their personal lives, and a Tobacco-Free Banner Signing Drawing encouraging students to pledge to become tobacco-free and petition for a vape flavor ban. Another part of my project that I enjoyed seeing was seeing the interaction between students and community members. My biggest fear was that there was going to be no participation, but I was proven wrong. I partnered with community members, HEAL sugar-sweetened beverages, Hawaii Tobacco Coalition, Baldwin High School PEP club, and the Blue Zones Project to also involve the community in my project. The overall reaction from students was surprised. Many did not know about the Blue Zones Project and their work in the community and were also willing and wanting to know more about the other organization and their purpose and community work.
"My Wellness Week was very successful and is something I was proud to organize. Statistics from my week showed that there were 188 Blue Zones Project pledges, 68 vape prevention petitions, 32 live aloha celebrations, 13 #BaldwinPower9 Instagram posts, and over 100 tobacco free pledges. I can not thank the Blue Zones Project - Central Maui enough for all their help and support during the planning and executing stages of my project. Through my experiences as an advocate to improve health and wellness, I learned to create a healthy living impact and change which I hope to continue in my school and community."
UPDATE (5/13/19)!
Since sharing his project, Josh not only received a $1,000 scholarship but also an additional $2,500 for being the top student project in Maui County! Congratulations Josh!
"The Citizen Scholar Award awarded by the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, the Hawaii State Department of Education, and the Honolulu Star Advertiser honors one student from each public high school in the state that best exemplifies citizenship in their school and community and embodies the Department of Education's vision of a Public School Graduate. I was honored to represent Baldwin High School and was also recognized as the top student from Maui County and won an additional scholarship. I was recognized for my service and health advocacy with the Blue Zones Project, leadership in extracurricular activities, high academic and athletic achievement, and willingness to contribute to the community."
Join the Well-Being Movement!
Email our team to learn more about partnering with us to make healthy choices easier at your worksite, school, grocery store, restaurant, or faith-based organization.
Check out free upcoming events in Wahiawa!
Sign up to receive community updates!
Learn more at hawaii.bluezonesproject.com
