A new walk/run club for kids, youth and teens is being launched by go!PEI in partnership with the Medical Society of PEI, the Department of Health and Wellness and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The club is designed to provide Island children with a fun, free and non-competitive program that supports the addition of more physical activity into their day.
“Over the past number of months, we have worked with many partners to design three programs participants can follow to build their cardiovascular endurance at a pace they are comfortable with,” states Olivia Ford, go!PEI’s coordinator. “The walk/run club programs can be used in a variety of settings including schools, homes and communities, are easy to coordinate, and will be fun for the participants.”
The School Health Action Planning and Evaluation System (SHAPES –PEI) 2012-13 results highlighted only 45% of Island students in grades 5-12 were achieving the recommended physical activity dose of 60 minutes per day based on their responses. While there are a number of initiatives ongoing in schools and community, the go!PEI Walk/Run Club provides another tool for school and community leaders to use to increase this rate.
“Physical activity is an important component of our overall health,” said Health and Wellness Minister Doug Currie. “This new club for youth will provide students with a fun way to increase their daily activity levels while developing good habits for a life of physical activity.”
The concept for the go!PEI Walk/Run Club was built around the award winning Doctors NS Kids Run Club which is offered throughout the school system in Nova Scotia. go!PEI partnered with The Medical Society of PEI to build a made in PEI program and is inviting schools to participate as a first step and then will explore other venues in the community to offer the program.
“As a physician and parent of a high school student, I am passionate about the importance of physical activity in every Islander’s day. Building healthy habits in school helps ensure healthy habits for a lifetime,” says Dr. Rachel Kassner, Chair of the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island and an early champion of the program. “Working with Island schools to promote health is a partnership that will help our youth today, and lessen the demand on our health system in the future.”
In response to the SHAPES-PEI report, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has been working with the school boards and schools to build healthier school environments for students. We know there is a direct link between the health of a child and their ability to learn, and this club offers another program for schools to use if they wish.
The go!PEI Walk/Run Club has three programs, each using a laddered approach to build the endurance for participants to move their bodies for either 20, 30 or 60 minutes without stopping. The programs are designed for ten weeks but there is lots of flexibility if that amount of time doesn’t suit the group’s schedule. The club meets twice a week and then participants have homework on three other days of the week where they are encouraged to pair up with family, friends or classmates to complete the activity required.
On days when the club meets, the purpose is to measure the distance the entire group moves as opposed to tracking the distance covered individually. This allows participants to move at a pace they are comfortable moving at without feeling they need to push themselves if they don’t want to. On Saturday June 14, 2014, go!PEI along with its partners will host five free walk/run events across PEI, and all participants are invited to participate free of charge and will receive a kit bag thanks to the generous support of the Medical Society of PEI.
About the go!PEI Walk/Run Club
• Like all go!PEI programs, participation in the walk/run club is free of charge.
• The club has been developed by go!PEI, the Medical Society of PEI, the Department of Health and Wellness, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and Recreation PEI. The NS Kids Run Club provided some early guidance.
• The programs start slow and allow the participants to build the endurance to move their bodies for a period of 20, 30 or 60 minutes.
• The club is for Island children and youth of all abilities including those with any exceptional needs.
• To start a club, a leader is required and then they contact go!PEI who will provide all the necessary items for the club to operate (programs, tracking logs, pylons, leader package, etc.).
• The club meets twice a week as a group and then participants are encouraged to do activities on their own during the other days of the week.
• When the club meets, the goal is for participants to move their bodies by walking, running and/or wheeling (if in a chair) for the scheduled time.
• The course is set as a measured loop, participants move at a pace they are comfortable with, and the club tracks the total number of laps of everyone combined to determine the distance the entire group moved.
• The regional sport and recreation councils along with go!PEI will support the programs and offer, in partnership with the Medical Society, five free community walk/run events on June 14 in five regions of the province. All participants attending the community event will receive a kit bag.