We are committed to helping East Texas youth connect to their families, to each other and to the community
Why we support Screen-Light Summers
Summer brings the promise of more free, unstructured time — time for outdoor play, face-to-face friendships, creativity, and movement. These simple things strongly support youth well-being. We invite our community to help kids and teens make a little more room for them.
Touch Grass Tour
When teens tell each other to “go touch grass,” it’s a nudge to get outside to address the anxiety that can build up from too much time online. Spending as little as 10 minutes outdoors can decrease the stress hormone cortisol and increase feel-good endorphins that boost your mood.
This summer, the Health Foundation of East Texas has teamed up with local events guide The Piney List to create the Touch Grass Tour – a snapshot guide to some of the many IRL places and spaces in East Texas where youth can explore, create, enjoy and socialize.
The Importance of Digital Wellness
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, experiences that most strongly support youth wellbeing are surprisingly simple: time outdoors, face-to-face friendships, creativity, movement, and a sense of purpose. Yet those experiences are increasingly crowded out by digital distractions.
At the Health Foundation of East Texas, we are committed to building collaborative community solutions that help youth set healthy tech boundaries; deepen in-real-life connections with friends, family, and community; and enjoy the abundant outdoor activities and creative pursuits that Smith County offers.