Marcia English conducted a service learning project teaching hip hop dance to children with obesity and mild autism. She held classes three times a week for three weeks at the Patch Learning Center in Titusville, Florida. The project involved 6 children with obesity, including 1 African American male and 5 white males, as well as 1 white female with autism. Marcia found the experience rewarding and saw improvements in the children's self-esteem and participation over time.

2. Marcia English Marcia2010@knights.ucf.edu 4/14/2010 EEX 4003 Hip Hop For Obesity/Mild Autism

3. Going into this service learning project, I felt extremely excited for two particular reasons: 1. I knew that the students and I will enjoy it. 2. I knew that in some way, shape, or form, I will be making a difference. Early Perceptions

4. “Patch Learning Center” N singleton Ave Titusville Florida 32796 (321)268-3107 Introduction to the Setting

6. Lets dance the cupid shuffle!!!! Hip Hop …Hip Hop…. Hip Hop…

7. 4 Demographics

9. My name is Marcia English, I am 21 years old, and I live in Titusville Florida. My early years in Jr. High, I struggled with obesity. It wasn’t until when my parents decided that it was time I do something to loose all the weight. I joined a dance class for two years, and dancing has made a great difference in my weight loss. I lost 58 lbs in 9 months. So I guess you can say, that my personal experience has made me choose to teach hip hop for obesity. Personal Demographics

10. The types of activities I performed was teaching hip hop to about 6 children with obesity, and teaching to 1 child who has a mild case of autism. My meeting schedule was as follows: Monday-Friday from 3:00pm-4:00pm, for three weeks. Totaling up to 15 hours. Engagement Activities

11. For this project, I had about 10 participants at the most. I had six males who were 9 years old. They were all struggling with obesity. There was 1 African American male and around 5 white males. I also had a 9 year old, white female, who has a mild case of autism. Participant Demographics

12. This experience has effected me in so many ways. I feel like I have built a little self esteem in these young children. Everyday was a different experience. I really enjoyed seeing the kids smile and actually participate. Towards the end, I even had a kid come up to me and say “I love You”. The only thing that I would of liked would be a bigger room to move around. This experience allowed me to see first hand, how it would be to teach students with disabilities. Obesity is a disability, because these students struggle on a daily basis. They struggle making friends, fitting in, participating in certain activities, etc. One of my participants was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Reflection of your Experience

13. I knew of Patch Learning Center, because I use to work there. I contacted Linda Levine, who is the Owner and I told her what I had plan. I chose to do this project by myself!

14. Overall, this experience was fun and memorable. I really enjoyed it, and most importantly the kids loved it.