When We Say “To Health” We’re Not Kidding.
La’Briyut!

Childhood obesity may soon overtake smoking as our nation’s #1 preventable disease. And yes, “disease” is the accurate description because, like smoking, childhood obesity acts as a host, arms wide open, welcoming heart issues, type 2 diabetes, stroke and associated psychological disorders. Not to mention the social stigmas. If left to its own momentum – or insufficiently addressed – this unwanted and curtail-able epidemic (one of three American children are estimated to be seriously overweight), threatens to make our current generation of youth the first who may not outlive their parents. Or, if they do so, at a quality of life level that no one will want to live with. What does ‘good health’ mean then to The Afikim Foundation? Is this really within our mission statement, “to reach, to teach and to inspire?” Most certainly education is the first step towards a healthy condition.

We have, therefore, undertaken this quest with the same compassionate sincerity that has become the hallmark of our creative laboratory of thinkers, mentors, educators, and implementers.

To sum up, we have embarked upon an exciting and unique, interdisciplinary health initiative, a collaboration with an influential team of educators, physicians and researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to address both the physical, psychological and therefore spirituality of today’s youth. Called La’Briyut, it is a 20-week Healthy Lifestyle Program, creatively and comprehensively designed by Bruce Rabin, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Psychiatry, Will Clower, Ph.D., Neurophysiologist, Ellen A. Roth, Ph.D., Education and Mental Health Specialist and Fabiana Chestweir, MS, Exercise Physiologist, La’Briyut is geared for children in grades six through eight, and seeks to reorient and reinforce behavior patterns that lead to healthy eating, increased physical activity and most important, stress-reducing strategies. Child-friendly incentives such as pedometers and water bottles serve as motivators. Family, school, community and online resources are engaged within a common framework to further enhance the focus that will improve the lifelong physical and mental well-being of students in the program.

OUR PILOT PROGRAM IN QUEENS, NEW YORK:
We initiated the La’Briyut Program in Yeshiva Har Torah of Queens/Long Island during the 2006/07 school year. It was facilitated by psychiatric social worker Susan Mandelstam to determine its success and augment additional refinements. These included expanded components on stress, addictions and eating disorders, as well as takehome supplements written by noted author Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf that incorporate the Jewish perspective on each of the weekly topics. Afikim has readied additional pilot programs for the upcoming school year. Our ultimate goal is replicate La’Briyut on a national level so that its physical, psychological, social and spiritual benefits can be enjoyed by children and their families everywhere.

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