Healthy Communities

We are entering that time of year when our lives get busy. We partake in holiday feasts and plan to connect with loved ones. In the whirlwind of these preparations, I was reminded of the importance of hitting the pause button by a very curious five-year-old whose favorite question is “why?” As I made my grocery lists and mapped out my trips to the various grocery stores, my son asked, “Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?” A straightforward response is that we use this holiday to give thanks and gratitude.

This guest blog post was written by Emma Wu, a 15 year-old Houston YMCA Youth and Government student. Emma attends a public school in Houston, the most diverse city in the nation. She assumed all teens had the same access to healthy lifestyles and physical activity. That changed when she began working on the Active Communities mock legislation project.

Every two years, the Safe Routes Partnership releases the Making Strides state report cards, providing an at-a-glance snapshot of how states are doing in their support of walking, rolling, and active kids and communities. As we gear up for the fifth edition of the report cards in 2024, we want to preview the indicators that each state will be evaluated on.

Even as an adult, as soon as August begins to slip into early fall, I can feel the echoes of my childhood back-to-school excitement. It was an optimistic beginning—I could show up and be the best version of myself with a perspective as fresh as my new notebooks. I have the same feeling now, that it’s a good time to review my habits as I soak up the beautiful weather. The new habit I’m trying to form is going for a walk in my neighborhood before starting work from my home office.