Active Kids in a Community Near You

Children and youth across Nova Scotia will have more opportunities to be active thanks to the work of their communities and the support of the province.

Health Promotion Minister Rodney MacDonald joined the launch of the Cape Breton Active Community today, April 1.

"Investing in kids puts a down payment on a healthier Nova Scotia," said Health Promotion Minister Rodney MacDonald. "By instilling the value of daily physical activity in our children, they can build behaviours to last a lifetime."

Each of the six regions has received $50,000 -- the second of three installments of funding from the province's Active Kids, Healthy Kids strategy.

The strategy was developed with the long-term goal of increasing the number of children and youth who accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate or higher intensity physical activity on a daily basis.

The Active Communities component of the strategy builds the capacity of families, schools, local government, and community organizations to increase the number of children and youth who are active enough for health benefits.

Each region is using its $50,000 to implement a plan, developed locally, that helps make the community conducive to accessible physical activity for youth.

"Healthy living and physical activity can be achieved," said Mr. MacDonald. "It takes a community to raise a child, and now it takes a community to help a child be healthy."

Following is a list of each regional active community and one example from its plan.

• Cape Breton Region (serving Cape Breton Island) Develop a resource manual that identifies resources for unstructured, family-centred activities, available to all communities in Cape Breton.

• Central Region (Serving Halifax Regional Municipality) Active Halifax Communities is declaring March 2004 to March 2005 the year of the girl with Girls Soar 2004. The initiative celebrates and promotes young women's participation in physical activity.

• Fundy Region (Serving counties of Cumberland and Colchester, and the Municipality of East Hants) The Treasure Chest program will be continued and enhanced. It includes a variety of equipment than can be borrowed by community groups, schools and organization for children's use. This portable resource brings physical activity opportunities to rural areas that lack recreation facilities.

• Highland Region (Serving counties of Guysborough, Antigonish and Pictou) Recreation Week will be hosted several times during the year, to provide free access for children, youth and families to try new areas of physical activity.

• South Shore Region (Serving counties of Yarmouth, Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg) Eight schools will participate in Spring Into Action by selecting two weeks in the spring when the goal is to have students attain at least 75 per cent of the targeted 60 minutes of physical activity, five days each week.

• Valley Region (Serving municipalities of West Hants, Clare and counties of Annapolis, Kings and Digby) Noon-hour and after-school programs will be offered to motivate children and youth to get physically active by using new equipment, trying various activities and being rewarded.