About Us ...
A public health lecture series on the rise of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, especially among children and young adults, motivated a group of Cal undergraduate students to work on the cause by raising health awareness amongst young children in their community. As a result, HIKE (Health Information for Kids' Education) was initially founded as a student organization in January 2007 by Shalini Indrakanti, who served as its president, and Zarchi Sumon, who served as its vice-president. Between 2007 and 2008, HIKE participated in several family-friendly fairs and festivals in the east bay area, spreading awareness about the importance of conscious, healthy living to children and their families. |
To facilitate involvement of the larger Cal student body in HIKE's efforts, Shalini Indrakanti and Zarchi Sumon designed and led an undergraduate course in Fall 2007 that offered Cal students the opportunity to work with HIKE at Emerson Elementary School in return for credit towards graduation. This pilot course was a resounding success and was received very positively by both the children and staff at Emerson Elementary School as well as the Cal students. Thus, HIKE DeCal (a student-run undergraduate course) was established at UC Berkeley and has been offered on campus every academic year since 2007. Currently, most of HIKE's efforts are focused on working with children at Emerson Elementary School in Berkeley, California. |
Cal students enrolled in HIKE DeCal visit elementary school children during their after-school program to deliver presentations and hand-on demonstrations on fun and exciting ways to stay healthy. Some of the areas we focus on include nutrition (making healthy food choices, reading food labels), physical health, personal hygiene, dental health, mental and emotional health, personal safety and first aid amongst others. HIKE has been led by bright and highly dedicated Cal student leaders over the years and has evolved into a wonderful program that is valued by both the children and staff at Emerson Elementary School as well as the Cal students involved in the course! |