The Childhood Obesity Proposal

Introduction

Wellbeing & Nutrients for Kids is a new upcoming event, which is aimed at parents, children, teachers and anyone working with kids to educate them about the growing numbers of chronic diseases which are developed by poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity. Due to living in fast paced environment and the easy access to technology and fast foods, Ireland is increasingly experiencing obesity in children from a very young age. Obesity is a huge issue in Ireland, recent studies have found that one in four children is overweight or obese. According to Safefood `Parents find it difficult to recognise that their child’s weight is not healthy`. Just 1% of children in the State were classed as obese in 1975, but this has risen to 9% among girls and 10% among boys.

This event will be a great opportunity to show how poor diet and lack of motion affects the wellbeing and health of the children, which then leads to more serious conditions such as diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. Most energy intake children consume comes from sugary foods such as biscuits, cakes, processed foods and sugary drinks. Many children do not meet the dietary recommendations which include fruit and vegetables. Childhood is a period where children need the right nutrients in order for the right development and growth. If families and teachers are not aware of the serious issues related to this problem, Ireland will be facing an epidemic of sick children who are more than likely to become sick adults. Obesity is not only an issue with weight, it also leads to several chronic diseases developed in adulthood.

As Slimline Studio is a promoter of a healthy lifestyle, they feel like it is their duty to educate parents and anyone working with children about obesity and how it impacts the children’s quality of life. Slimline Studio is looking for funders who will provide this event with financial funding to enhance the quality of the event. These are the three organisations who provide financial funding and the goals of these funders match the goals and objectives of this event:

1. HSE/National Lottery Grants
2. The Community Foundation and
3. National Children’s Research centre.

Grant Applications

A grant is a quantity of money, i.e. financial funding given by a government, association or specific individual for a specific reason. In contrast to loan, you do not need or have to pay back the cash. According to Charles Baden “Many events rely on funding from national, regional or local government, grants from quangos (such as Arts Council or Sport England), sponsorship or flexible credit terms from supplier”. (Bladen, 2018, pg. 140).

Most of grant applications request for the same information, however they frequently come in different formats. Stokes believes “Good grant writing involves a well-planned message and an appropriate communication strategy that delivers the message persuasively to a target audience” (Stoke,2012,). Some grant applications may have set of questions to answer, while others will request a proposal outlining the information of target project. Grant applications should begin by creating a rough draft. First, focus on getting the majority of the main ideas on paper. Look at the draft and after that expand on key focuses that readers will like best. Successful grant writing involves several activities, which includes planning, searching for data and resources, packaging and writing a proposal, submitting a proposal to a funder and follow up.

Here are some tips on writing grants

1. Find the right funding sources – Once the project/event is designed and event details are settled, it’s time to find the appropriate funding grantors. Most libraries provide sources related to grant funding, which can help identify public and private funding sources, foundations and any government associations that accept RFPs (Request for proposals). For best results, search for funding programs whose goals match closely to your project/event.
2. Stick to the guidelines – Always follow an established process in grant writing as most funders have their own application forms and guidelines. Some organisations only accept proposals by invitation only. Sometimes, the requirements for completing the proposal are listed in the RFP, which serves as a preparation guideline. It is important to follow the specific guidelines of the funder certain projects/events have targeted when grant writing. One of the main reason’s applicants fail and are rejected is due to applicants failing to follow the grantors guidelines.
3. Are you ready to begin writing? – Grant writing starts with an idea. To submit a successful application, event/project must be a fully researched, well-developed and feasible project plan. Here are some of the main elements of grant proposals:

• Project description - goals of the project, objectives, what the event is trying to achieve, mission statement, why is the event being organised, who is organising it and where and when will the event be held?
• Benefits - what are the benefits of hosting an event, who will benefit from the event, potential outcomes.
• Budget - ` A clear budget narrative is often crucial to a grant proposal success` (Geever, Foundation centre, 2007). A budget should include incomes, expenditures and sponsorships.
• Supporting materials – only submit any supporting materials if it is required in order to support the application. This could include photographs, references and financial documents.

(Digitalcommons.unl.edu, 2019)

It is important to remember that these proposals are competing against number of different proposals. To be successful, proposals must be written in a strong, persuasive style that has clear goals and objectives of the project/event and it matches the goals of the potential funder (Wisdom, Riley and Myers, 2015).

Event Details

What?

Wellbeing and Nutrients for Kids is a new upcoming event held at Slimline Studio in the heart of Dublin’s City Centre on the 15th May 2019. This event is aimed at parents to educate them about the importance of good nutritious food and benefits of motion. How kids eat today can highly affect their wellbeing all throughout adolescence and adulthood. Eating food that contains the important nutrients enables children to develop and grow and is crucial for children's physical and mental development.

Slimline Studio wants to motivate parents, teachers and anyone working with kids to focus on their kids’ health, healthy balance lifestyle and movement. This event is designed for all who are willing to work with their children and help them get general physical activity combined with balanced healthy diet.

The event will consist of:

• Introduction to healthy eating
• Side effects of sugary foods (physical and mental side)
• Importance of physical activity in kids
• Opportunity to try out InBody Analyser
• Food exhibition
• Opportunity to try out yoga classes
• Free food/sugar free treats samples

Why?

Ireland is increasingly experiencing overweight and obese children. Two in four children in the Republic of Ireland is overweight or obese. Obese children are likely to become obese adults which then leads to long-term health issues such as diabetes or mental health. ? of the energy intake from child's diet comes from sugary drinks, biscuits, confectionery, chocolate and cake. Pre-school children watch an average of 2-5 hours television a day. 34% of preschool kids have a TV in their bedroom.

Who?

This event is being organized by Slimline Studio. As promoters of healthy and balanced lifestyle Slimline have decided to host this educational seminar to remind parents that it is never too late to introduce their kids to food and physical activity that can improve their overall wellbeing.

When and where?

The event will be held on the 15th March 2019. Slimline Studio is a modern studio located in the heart of Dublin’s city centre. With over 10 years of experience this studio provides personal weight loss programs, nutrition advice, long term maintenance of weight and fitness, gradual change of lifestyle and sense of well-being and joy of life.

Why is funding required?

Grant is needed to support this health seminar as the organisers are working with a very small budget. By providing financial funds this can enhance the quality of the event and attendees can avail of sugar-free treats, educational leaflets, free cooking recipes, tips on how to eat healthy on a budget and opportunity to do a free yoga class and experience the real benefits of motion.

This event will be free of charge for everyone who registers online. Each attendee will receive a confirmation reference number that will allow them to access the event free of charge. If the event is a success, Slimline Studio hopes to run it more often with small admission charge that will also allow them to provide the seminar around Dublin’s primary and secondary schools. Slimline Studio wants to raise awareness to health issues caused by poor dietary habits and lack of movement in children. Their main aim is to work with parents, children, teachers and any associations working with children to educate them about the importance of healthy, balance lifestyle and benefits of physical activity.

The mission statement and objectives of the event?

Mission Statement:

Our mission is to highlight and remind parents about the growing numbers of chronic diseases caused by poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity in children.

Objectives of the event:

Our objective is to educate parents about the importance of physical activity and healthy food in children. Insufficient physical activity combined with improper nutrition involves in the development of chronic diseases such as respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic diseases and mental health issues.

We want parents to understand the real harm caused by poor dietary food and sugar in children and young adults as it can lead to several chronic diseases.

We want to support and show parents that by making small changes in their everyday routines can lead to huge health benefits for their children.

We want to highlight the negative impacts of sugary foods, poor dietary habits and lack of movement, which impacts the quality of child’s life.

We want to raise awareness to parents about the issues and challenges created by excess weight in children.

Why is funding required?

By providing financial funds it can enhance the quality of the event and attendees can avail of healthy free food specifically made for this event, sugar free treats packed with a lot of nutrients and vitamins which are important in the development of a child, free cooking and baking recipes and tips on how to eat healthy on a budget. This event will be a great opportunity to try out InBody analyser which is a detailed composition that provides a detailed breakdown of weight in terms of muscle, fat and daily water intake. To understand the real benefits of physical activity, attendees can try out a free yoga class which will be put on throughout the day.

Firstly, funding will be required to provide free food on the day. The organizers of this event are aiming to provide good quality food for our audience that can be easily made at home and it will be specifically designated for this seminar. All food provided on the day is designated to help parents understand that simple healthy ingredients can be used in many ways in order to create a nutritious meals and snacks for their children. This event is necessary to inform parents about chronic diseases that can affect kids due to large consumption of sugary foods, we need to provide this event with high quality food that can be prepared with simple and inexpensive ingredients. We want to show our audience we are not trying to drastically change the way they live, but to pass on knowledge and importance of balance in our lifestyles. By making small changes in the kitchen and following simple rules, it can benefit the whole family especially the children as they need the right nutrients for their development.

Secondly, funding will be required to provide our attendees with yoga mats which attendees can keep after the event. Slimline studio is aiming for a fun day including activities for their attendees which will be all free of charge. As obesity in kids is a huge issue at the moment, we want to raise awareness to it and inform our audience about the negative impacts that evolve around it.

Lastly, funding will be required to hire a yoga instructor. Yoga is a group of mental, physical, spiritual practises or disciplines. It involves a variety of physical benefits such as: 1. Improved respiration, energy vitality 2. Maintaining a balanced metabolism 3. Weight reduction 3. Cardio and circulatory health and much more. By providing a free yoga class to our attendees it will allow them to experience different way of exercising. If right amount of funding will be granted, Slimline Studio has partnered with number of highly skilled instructors that are willing to provide discount passes which are only going to be available at this event.

Potential outcomes of the event

Slimline Studio believes that this event will encourage parents, children, teachers and any organisations working with children to make small changes in their lifestyles, after they highlight the growing numbers of chronic diseases created by poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity. Slimline studio wants to educate those who are willing to make small changes not only for their children but for the whole family. Introducing new habits can be hard but we’ve created a template which is very easy to follow and leads to long term physical and mental benefits.

Slimline Studio believe that this event will increase physical activity in families. Staff will be providing the attendees with a booklet that lists simple activities kids and families can get involved in. They have created a list of outdoor and indoor activities that are simple, fun and effective. Physical activity helps to diminish the odds of children becoming overweight or developing chronic-health related issues. They likewise help in in supporting the child’s overall development and growth.

Slimline Studio wants to create a community who are aware of what they child is eating and how certain foods and drinks can lead to several chronic diseases. This event will showcase sugar content in products kids consume on daily basis. Certain products promote that the content of the products is classed as healthy but if people learn to read labels at the back of products, they can easily find out for themselves that most products are extremely high in sugar and low in vitamins and nutrients children need for development and growth.

How much funding is required?

All costs are to cover 150 attendees.

Catering Company:

KC Peaches will be providing our event with variety of healthy options for our attendees. The menu was specifically created for this event and that is why we used simple and fresh ingredients that can be bought in any stores, so our attendees can see that all food provided on the day can be made from home and it will not be expensive. Slimline Studio will be serving delicious breakfast which will include of pastries, yogurts, fresh fruit platters, sausage rolls and bagels. Fresh juices, tea and coffee will also be available. Lunch menu will consist of sandwiches, wraps, salads and soups. Vegetarian, vegan and non-dairy options will also be available. All vegetarian, vegan and non-dairy options will be labelled and served on separate tables to avoid any confusion. All food and drinks that will be left over from the event will be given to the homeless in Dublin City Centre.

Total funding needed for the catering company: €1402,75.

Yoga mats:

Yoga mats will be purchased from Elverys sports located in the Omni Shopping Centre.

Total funding required for the yoga mats: €825.

Yoga instructor will be hired from Yoga Dublin which is located in Ranelagh and Dundrum. Yoga Dublin offers diversity of classes which are suitable for beginners. As they are highly skilled instructors who care about the wellbeing of their customers, they are offering great family and individual passes that are going to be exclusively available for our attendees.

Total funding required to hire a yoga instructor: €250.

Flyers and leaflets will be provided for our attendees with healthy cooking and baking recipes, indoor & outdoor physical activity ideas, and much more.

Total funding required for flyers & brochures: €93.50.

Total funding amount: €2,571.25.

Section 7: Budget (Income & Expenditure)

Income:

1. Venue (Free)

2. Staff (3 personal trainers) (Free)

3. InBody Analyser (Free)

4. Fitness equipment (Free)

Slimline Studio is hosting this event on their premises so therefore the venue will be free of charge.

Expenditure:

1. Catering Company €1402,75

2. Yoga Mats €825.00

3. Yoga instructor €250.00

4. Flyers & Brochures € 93.50

€2571,25

Section 8: How this event matches the goals of the funder?

The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides all of Irelands public health services in hospitals and communities across the country. The National Lottery Grants are provided by the HSE as they are distributing funding to voluntary organisations and community groups who provide health and personal social services.

Slimline Studio believes this event will be great opportunity to educate families and children about the importance of creating healthy dietary habits and increasing physical activity in children as it affects their quality of life throughout childhood and adolescence and it also leads to several chronic diseases developed in adulthood.

This event will create a community who are willing to work with children to improve their quality of life. Placing an overweight or normal child on a `drastic diet plan` will result in harming a child's health and wellbeing. It can negatively affect their normal development and growth, and it can also harm their self-esteem. Focusing just on child's weight can damage their wellbeing and may cause additional over-eating. We want parents, teachers and anyone who works with children to focus on the child and not their weight! Regardless of their shape or weight, assist them to respect and love themselves by applauding their strengths and skills.

This has been less effective in the last decade since modern technology and fast paced environment has not only taken over adults but also children are trying to familiarise themselves with technology from younger age rather than outside activities which would have been a norm for a child prior to tablets and technology being of interest to them.

This event will try and bring the physical activities of children back and make them aware of their importance as that is usually forgotten when technology becomes a part of their everyday habit. Not only is this event beneficial for children but also for the HSE as it can reduce the number of minors suffering with chronical diseases and obesity. This will give the HSE a chance to improve themselves by not having such a high number of these types of cases. People nowadays have become so busy with their everyday lives and they do not have the time to reflect on not only themselves but also on the wellbeing of their children, food being the prime example. The more this becomes aware in our society the better results we will have and the HSE will not only have less patients which means less money and time but also a healthier society which is what the HSEs goals are.

References

1. Bladen, C. (2018). Events management. New York: Routledge.
2. Stokes, K. (2012), Modality Approach to successful grant writing, Technical Communications Journal, Vol. 59, Number 3, August 2012.
3. Wisdom, J., Riley, H. and Myers, N. (2015). Recommendations for Writing Successful Grant Proposals. Academic Medicine, 90(12), pp.1720-1725.
4. Geever, J. C., & Foundation Centre. (2007). The Foundation Centre’s guide to proposal writing. New York: The Foundation Centre.
5. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3524&context=libphilprac [Accessed 4 Jan. 2019].
6. HSE.ie. (2019). Ireland's Health Services - HSE.ie. [online] Available at: https://www.hse.ie/eng/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2019].
7. Communityfoundation.ie. (2019). The Community Foundation. [online] Available at: https://www.communityfoundation.ie/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2019].
8. National Children's Research Centre. (2019). Home - National Children's Research Centre. [online] Available at: https://www.nationalchildrensresearchcentre.ie/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2019].

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