YMCA of Greater Seattle

The YMCA of Greater Seattle’s ACT! Program has been a long-standing evidence-based health intervention to address youth obesity through family lifestyle change, but has been historically limited to mostly English-speaking families. Their Innovation project increased the scope and scale of the original ACT! programming to allow culturally and linguistically appropriate access by resource-limited Black/African American and East African (Somali and Ethiopian) community members in Central Seattle and South Seattle.

In partnership with Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC), Living Well Kent and Ethiopian Community in Seattle, they launched and tested the efficacy of a culturally relevant version of ACT! that incorporates the following program adaptations and supplemental services:

• Culturally relevant curriculum adaptations related to nutrition and other health behaviors
• Weekly fitness programming
• Community Health Navigation including food access support
• Easily accessible programming

This project seeks to address the specific needs of unique cultural communities to create relevant and meaningful health intervention. It allowed partners to learn directly from community members regarding their needs and hopes for programming through active listening sessions and real-time program delivery.