PEACH CLUB

The PEACH Club
Doherty Memorial High School
Worcester, MA

Fawna Racine, 19, went from almost dropping out of high school to creating her own group, finding her own voice, and making her own mark on her school.

Fawna is a health activist. She worked for nutritional health and physical fitness programs at her high school before graduating. She’s spoken to legislators, addressed a conference by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and spread her message online.

Action for Healthy Kids, a partnership of more than 60 national organizations and government agencies in pursuit of health and wellness, supports the PEACH Club – Promoting Exercise And Continuing Health – which she started because she “kept getting denied from high school clubs, so I made my own.”

The PEACH Club is the first health club at the school. The club works to change the policies of the school so more nutritional needs can be met and more exercise programs can be put into place. It also tries to inform students about general information for good health.

What is your definition of youth activism?

Pretty much I would say where the youth pretty much take initiative over the adults and really to show their colors and really put into progress certain things that they’re trying to achieve.

What’s been your biggest challenge in your efforts in health activism?

Let’s see. Trying to get around the policies, ’cause it’s really hard, and just trying to get people to see that they can trust the youth and it’s not a bad thing to let us run the show sometimes.

What do you consider your biggest success?

Probably going from dropping out of high school to establishing my own group and my own voice.

What piece of advice would you give to other kids interested in health activism?

I would probably say step out of the box. Don’t let fear take over, and don’t worry about what other people have to say. Do what you need to do to better yourself, and if you think it’s something that could help other people, why not do it? Don’t bite your tongue too hard because it’ll always make it bleed and that’s never good. So always speak your opinion.

Copryright 2009 Y-Press