Being healthy is very important and there are many ways to achieve this.  Being physically active, eating right, and learning to reduce stress are some of the ways youth can build strong muscles, lower the risk of serious disease and illness, and lower their emotional stress.

The Lewis County Extension Office conducted the program Summer Sensation which was a collaborative effort of the Extension Office, Central and Tollesboro Family Resource Center, and the Lewis County Youth Services Center.  The sum of activities for the three day program concentrated on mental and  physical well-being.  The program was conducted to break the summer boredom that many youth face while being out of school and to help them learn ways to relax and relieve stress which a is very important skill to have.  

According to the web site Health Hub the creative arts - drawing, painting, sculpture, drama, dance, music, and so on - are not only a great way to create something beautiful, they're also fantastic for relieving stress, enhancing creativity, developing problem-solving abilities, and building leadership, negotiation, and social skills! There are also physical benefits such as improved hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. To help youth learn to express themselves, be physically active and to learn to relax- art, photography, yoga, and recreational activities were provided during the Summer Sensation program.  Cooking was also part of the program to teach youth how to preparing healthy food to eat.  

Twenty-four youth participated in the three day program.   Since Lewis County is a large county, transportation was provided from each of the elementary schools in the county and paid for by the Family Resource Centers. Youth participated in a yoga class teaching relaxation skills to participants by a certified yoga instructor.   A certified art teacher taught youth painting techniques in which they learn to paint trees one day and then the second day they painted what they wanted to paint using their creative skills and techniques taught.  Each day the SNAP assistant taught youth how to prepare a healthy lunch, the FCS agent taught youth photography techniques and took pictures, and recreation was held at the end of the day lead by the Youth Services Center director.  

By applying all that they learned at Summer Sensation youth will live a healthier, happier life.  After the program was over the yoga instructor communicated with the 4-H Agent that she had seen a transformation in the participants from day one to their last day.  All youth were able to do the yoga moves and their attitude toward learning the relaxation techniques became more positive.  All participants in the program painted a picture they were proud of using the techniques they were taught and some decided to enter their drawing in the Floral Hall at the fair.  One participant ask her mom as they were leaving if they could buy some canvas because she discovered she really enjoyed painting.  All participants had a photography project using the skills taught and nineteen decided they wanted to enter their photography project in the fair.  In the cooking class all participants were able to make their lunch and on the day we had pizza they were receptive to trying different types of pizza that they normally would not eat.  One participant went home that evening and made pizza for his family to eat for dinner.