The Educated Choices Program is a US-based 501c3 academic organization that offers free educational programs to schools and communities worldwide, discussing the impact of food choices on human and planetary health. We have reached over 3.5 million students in 51 countries and are growing rapidly each year, now offering programs in 3 languages.
Our free digital education packages are designed for ages 12+ and offer engaging and informative videos accompanied by lesson plans, quizzes, discussion prompts and activities to make integration into the teacher’s curriculum seamless. Our programs also meet academic standards in all 50 US states.
In our program resources, we address the many ways that individual food choices and our current food system contribute to not only human health issues, such as common chronic diseases but also planetary health issues, such as deforestation, water pollution, air pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change. We also discuss food innovation and the science behind alternative proteins. These topics are covered non-judgmentally and inclusively, offering accessible dietary alternatives and tools and encouraging incremental and approachable change.
All of ECP’s free educational programs undergo a review process by their internal ARDI (Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee) to ensure that they are representative of and sensitive to the cultures and beliefs of their audiences. They are also reviewed to ensure that suggestions for more healthful and sustainable food choices are accessible to all audiences by featuring not just fresh but frozen and canned foods, including foods that can be found by students who may be located in food desserts. Additionally, we provide resources such as lists of local food banks that offer fresh produce and other healthy items. Finally, video accessibility is tested to ensure that students who may have difficulty learning visually or audibly can equally access and understand the presented material.
In an age where young people are bombarded with false dietary claims through marketing campaigns designed with sales as a priority as opposed to health and environmental sustainability, it is crucial that students learn the scientific facts about food in a place where they are already poised to learn: in the classroom.
OPAL is a Community Interest Company that has been supporting schools in improving the quality of their playtimes since 2011. We do this through the OPAL Primary Programme. This award-winning mentor-supported school improvement programme addresses all the areas schools must plan for to strategically and sustainably improve the quality of their play opportunities. This is the only programme of its kind that has been independently proven to sustainably improve the quality of play in primary schools, both here in the UK and internationally. Its success comes from a series of interrelated actions undertaken with specialist support from an OPAL mentor. This embeds play into the school’s policies and practices and establishes clear guiding principles and strategies for initiating changes at playtimes. The results can be transformational in even the more challenging school environments. Find out more: www.outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk
