Bible Center Church – The Oasis Project
Title: Six-week Immersive Nutrition Course for Kids K-5 at the Maker’s Clubhouse Summer Camp
Student Interns:
Rhys Nicholas
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PCAT
Ayo (Olufunmilayo) Telli
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PCAT
Academic Preceptor:
Thuy Bui, MD
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Community Preceptor:
Ash Chan
Bible Center Church and Oasis Farm
Reverend Cynthia Wallace, EdD
Bible Center Church and Oasis Farm
Community Site:
The Oasis Project is a community and economic development division of Bible Center Church, founded in 2013 in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. It leads revitalization and development efforts throughout the Homewood community. Its community farm provides residents with fresh produce. The Maker’s Clubhouse provides educational programs for school-age children, including a summer camp.
Team’s Experience:
At the summer camp, the Bridging the Gaps interns presented a six-week nutrition course. Each week, the children learned about foods that taste good and help them grow. The interns discussed the importance of each food group, and the children tasted many different flavors. As a keepsake, the interns created a flipbook magnet that reviewed each week’s activity and the most important takeaways. It also included easy-to-prepare recipes for the campers to make at home. In addition, the interns gave camp leaders a step-by-step nutrition plan to use in subsequent summers.
Reflections
I liked getting to see how excited the kids were every week when we showed up. They would run up to me and say, “Mr. Rhys, what are we doing in Life Skills today? Are we cooking food?” It was really fun getting to know the kids and a good reminder of why I want to go into pediatrics.
Rhys Nicholas
I think my favorite part of the project was hearing from the camp leaders how much they enjoyed being a part of each lesson plan and how they have already started using some of the recipes/ideas at home.
Ayo Telli
