"I was introduced to LIFT - Levántate For Teens - Levántate, a local Marin County non-profit organization, through Canal Alliance's Associate Director, Omar Carrera. By the time the LIFT - Levántate staff came to visit our program, we had already met with a number of different programs and schools looking for one that could implement physical activities for our 80 students, yet none seemed to be the right compliment to our academic enrichment afterschool program. LIFT - Levántate was perfect! They tailored their program to our specific needs, and for the 2011 spring semester we partnered together to implement our first program, offering Zumba fitness as well as cooking and nutrition classes. Throughout the program, the students were clearly excited and enthusiastic about their classes. Our attendance rate for the Cooking class during this period was 90% and for the Zumba class was at 89.6%. LIFT - Levántate's effectiveness was also noted when student surveys measured that 78% of students in the cooking and nutrition class increased their intake of water, reduced their usual consumption of sodas, juices and power drinks, and began thinking about what nutrients their bodies need. Students really looked forward towards the Wednesday LIFT - Levántate recreation days."
"Clearly, with a 90% attendance rate, students were very interested and engaged. This really speaks to the passion, professionalism, and cultural competence of the LIFT - Levántate program and its instructors. They were able to maintain the Youth Scholarship Program's environment, where students can feel safe learning new skills and accepting different challenges while actively participating and enjoy their time doing so. Due to these encouraging results and observations we are expanding these successful these classes into a well-established program running throughout the school year."
Raquel Saunders
Youth Scholarship Program Director
Canal Alliance
