1 ORGS · 4 ACTIVITIES ← all strategies ·
theory of action →

Culturally Responsive Programming

By designing health and wellness programs using community input and culturally responsive practices, Shape Up US increases engagement and health outcomes in diverse populations, because programs are more relevant, accessible, and respectful of cultural contexts. This strategy emphasizes deep community collaboration to adapt health curricula to the cultural norms, languages, and values of the populations served. Unlike one-size-fits-all approaches, it ensures inclusivity and trust, making health outreach more effective across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. It is particularly impactful in multicultural communities where traditional health interventions often fail due to cultural disconnect.

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orgs running it
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activities of those orgs
3
clusters touched
who runs it

organizations running this strategy · 1

what it looks like in practice

activities of orgs running this strategy

A sample of programmatic activities from the orgs above. These are what the strategy looks like on the ground.

  • Cookbook Publishing and Nutrition Education Materials Shape Up US Inc
    direct service
    Authored and published more than 15 bestselling cookbooks, including "Think Outside The Lunchbox" with 250 plant-nutritious recipes, which have collectively sold over 2 million copies to support healthy eating and nutrition education.
  • Health and Wellness Expos Shape Up US Inc
    direct service
    Organizes free, large-scale Health and Wellness Expos in dozens of cities nationwide annually, featuring family engagement activities such as sports demonstrations, cooking demos, entertainment, and giveaways to promote public awareness of heart and chronic disease prevention. The first expo was held in Mesa, Arizona in October 2009, and events continue to be hosted in partnership with entities like the Arizona Department of Education, with attendance expected at over 3,000 for single events.
  • Hip-Hop Healthy Heart Program™ and School Curriculum Shape Up US Inc
    direct service
    Implements the Hip-Hop Healthy Heart Program™, a comprehensive health literacy curriculum for children, across 34 states through schools and e-learning platforms. Also created an elementary school health and wellness curriculum and designs culturally responsive programs tailored to community input to improve access to health and wellness resources for diverse families.
  • Teacher Training and Capacity Building Shape Up US Inc
    capacity building
    Partnered with Rio Salado College in 2011 to offer teacher training coursework, building educator capacity to deliver health and wellness education.