According to David N. Roach, “Healthy Economics,” is an inter-generational approach of increasing sustainability from within a community.
Healthy Economics defines the school in every community as the nucleus of that communities development.
Healthy Economics divides this nucleus into three main populations and seeks to collaborate them.
Healthy Economics is divided into four main programs to pursuit the above. They are: The Friends of School Program, 1st Saturdays, The Intergenerational Enterprise and Mo’ Better Food.
A brief description of how they work together to advance a community towards Familyhood is below. (the order could vary in different school sites).
1. One first becomes “a friend” of the school.
2. “A friend” of the school assists the school in having a functioning Student Government Association, Parent Teacher Association and Alumni Association.
3. “The friend” gains the support of the school’s Principal to enable “the friend” to recruit members to join each of the above organizations.
4. The Principal adopts 1st Saturday’s as the official monthly volunteer day and site by “SAVING THE 1st SATURDAY’S DATES” for the entire year.
5. During the 1st Saturdays event, if the school has a functioning Student Government Association and/or Parent Teacher Association and/or Alumni Association, updates from representatives are recommended.
If the school does not have any or all of the above organizations, then 1st Saturdays assists in recruiting members to join any of these organizations for the school.
In addition to hearing updates from these organizations, Healthy Economics promotes these organizations to collaborate under the title of The Inter-generational Enterprise.
The Inter-generational Enterprise plans/operates “healthy activities” such as planning/working the school garden, planning/working the schools farmers market and expanding the school’s capacity to eventually having a school based grocery store on campus.
Healthy Economics states, “every school should have a garden, a farmers market and a grocery store.”
This collaboration, The Inter-generational Enterprise which consists of a body of students, parents, alumni and community partners, meeting every 1st Saturdays of the month with plans of hosting a school garden, farmers market and grocery store, as mentioned above, is what Healthy Economics defines as a community heading towards Familyhood.
Familyhood is a self sustaining society that lives in peace and harmony.
