Why It Matters
You can't make the healthy choice the easier choice until you know what your building already has to work with, so this is where every Champion begins. By the end of this lesson, you'll know why taking stock of your resources comes first, what counts as a resource, and how to do your inventory using the tool we provide.
What to Know
Why start with what you already have
Remember the idea behind the name. Before starting anything new, INtegrate looks at what is already here. You cannot make the healthy choice easier in your building if you do not know what your building already offers. And most buildings have far more to work with than anyone realizes: a track no one thinks to use, an empty classroom that could be a quiet space, a food services team open to healthier options. A clear inventory turns those overlooked assets into things you can actually put to use.
What counts as a resource
More than you might expect. As you look around, keep these areas in mind:
- Spaces beyond the breakroom: an open classroom for a brain break, the gym, the commons after hours, a quiet room, outdoor fields or courts.
- Physical activity, PE, and athletics: the gym or PE space, PE and sports equipment, a track, safe walking routes, and your PE teacher.
- Food and water: food services that could support healthier staff options, a kitchen for a cooking demo, staff refrigeration, water bottle-filling stations.
- Education and communication: a Wellness Station, digital screens, a staff email list, flyer spots, and the NuStart resources themselves.
- People and partners: your administrator, other groups and committees, other initiative champions and leaders, counselors, student groups, and community partners whose goals overlap with yours.
A note on PE. Many INtegrate Champions are also their building's physical education teacher. If that is you, you already hold some of the strongest movement resources in the building, the space, the equipment, and the know-how, so here your inventory is mostly about how to share them with staff. If you are not the PE teacher, that teacher is one of your most natural allies. A short conversation can open up the gym, the equipment, and plenty of ideas.
How to take your inventory
Use the Building Resource Inventory form. It walks you through each of these areas with simple questions. A few tips:
- Walk your building with fresh eyes, as if you were seeing it for the first time.
- “Not sure” is a useful answer. It points to something worth finding out.
- Ask the people who know: your administrator, the custodial team, food services, and the coaches. A five-minute conversation often surfaces a resource you would never find on your own.
What you will do with it
Your inventory is the raw material for everything that follows. In the next lesson, Turn Resources Into Action, you will match what you found to simple activities that fit your building. Your answers also help NuStart support you and point you to ideas. Do this thoroughly once, and it pays off all year.
Try this · Your turnComplete the Building Resource Inventory for your building. If you cannot do the whole thing yet, walk one hallway or wing with fresh eyes and note three things you had not thought of as wellness resources.
Open the Building Resource Inventory ›
New to the role? Your INtegrate Champion Manual is your complete guide. Keep it handy.
