Child Wellness | Focus Group Research, Parent Engagement, and Community Education

The National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the United Health Foundation (UHF) funded the Savannah Business Group (SBG) to engage parents, employers, and physicians in raising awareness about and improving child wellness. Bluknowledge LLC managed the parent engagement component, which included conducting parent focus groups and initiating a parent network for sharing information and resources related to child wellness.

Plan4Health | Improving Access to Healthy Foods through Collaborative Planning for Policy and Environmental Change

Plan4Health is implemented in partnership with the American Planning Association and the American Public Health Association. Transport Studio, a Savannah-based planning and engineering firm, is leading the Plan4Health project on behalf of Healthy Savannah. Bluknowledge LLC serves as a task leader on the project outreach team. Key responsibilities include (a) outreach to youth and priority populations about Plan4Health project activities and (b) stakeholder interviews with community officials, leaders, and gatekeepers to inform strategies for improving local access to healthy food through policy and environmental change. Other project team members include Forsyth Farmers’ Market, Savannah Chatham Food Policy Council, and Armstrong State University.

Planning for Youth | Engaging Local Leadership in the Planning for Youth-based Services in Savannah, Georgia

The City of Savannah appointed the Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority (Youth Futures) to engage the community in the collaborative authorship of the Youth Master Plan that articulates the existing opportunities and needed services to support youth development related to education, health, safety, work readiness, and activities and recreation. Bluknowledge LLC designed, administered, analyzed, and reported on a survey of youth-serving agencies in Savannah-Chatham County, Georgia that supported Youth Futures’ revision of the Youth Master Plan. The survey engaged 37 leaders of local agencies and organizations in a guided planning session to articulate their level of commitment with regard to leadership or partnership, implementation timeline, and annual costs to implement proposed strategies.

Campaign for Healthy Kids | Planning through Community Forums, Focus Group Research, and Proposal Preparation

The National League of Cities invited the City of Savannah to compete for funding to implement an education and enrollment campaign aimed to increase the number of children enrolled in public health insurance programs – Right from the Start Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids. Bluknowledge LLC provided planning consultation services to Step Up Savannah and the Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council: facilitation of stakeholder workshops, focus group research, and proposal preparation. In June 2014, the NLC awarded Savannah with $250,000 to implement the proposed campaign, including the creation of a campaign manager position. Click here to learn more about Campaign for Healthy Kids.

Let’s EAT Healthy, PLAY Often, and Create COMMUNITY! | Facilitating Community Assessments and Planning

In August 2013, Bluknowledge LLC collaborated with Denise Grabowski of Symbioscity, and Cristina Gibson of Coastal Health District to plan and facilitate four community forums in the Eastside and Westside communities of Savannah. In the first round of community meetings, residents mapped existing and potential healthy places in their neighborhoods and suggested ways their community wants to improve opportunities for healthy eating. The second round of meetings created space for community residents to plan their actions. After individual and collective reflections on how they can help their community, residents drafted community action plans – vision, action steps, and resources.

Workforce Study | Focus Group Research: Job Seekers and Small Businesses in Savannah, Georgia

The Savannah Economic Development Authority, Savannah Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way of the Coastal Empire commissioned a study of the workforce in Savannah, Georgia. As part of this study, Bluknowledge LLC was hired to conduct primary research, focus group interviews, to explore (1) challenges that residents, who are studying to achieve a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, face when seeking meaningful employment and (2) the small business community’s perceptions of the entry-level applicant pool for potential employees. The summary of findings has been communicated in a research brief intended to inform the greater workforce study.

Early Learning | Educating Parents and Community about Healthy Resources

Early Learning College, a newly developed module of Savannah’s Parent University, was developed to provide skills training for parents of children birth to 5 years old. Sessions are offered 12 Saturdays per year. To date, Bluknowledge LLC has facilitated sessions that help families set SMART goals for healthy eating and physical activity and field trips to the Forsyth Farmers Market.

Bring It Home |  Educating the Community about the Forsyth Farmers’ Market

Bring It Home creates opportunities for community members to “bring home” knowledge of healthy living, including the selection and preparation of nutritious foods and physical activity. Bluknowledge LLC received funding from Healthy Savannah to design and deliver ten (10) neighborhood events and three (3) market events during November 2012 and June 2013. More . . . 

Healthy FoodKnowledge | Educating Faith-based Communities about Healthy Eating

Healthy FoodKnowledge offers nutrition education and food preparation guidance for community groups interested in learning easy, practical ways to eat healthy. In 2012, Bluknowledge LLC partnered with the Coastal Health District to provide Healthy FoodKnowledge classes to three churches in the Faith and Wellness Network: Central Baptist Church, St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, and Temple of Glory Community Church. More . . .

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