City partners with School District 68 to encourage physical activity for youth

HealthAmongUs 2014 kicks off May 12

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed May 12, 2014 9:00 AM

Summary

Close to 3000 Kindergarten to Grade 4 students in School District 68 will participate in the 11th annual HealthAmongUs event at Beban Park artificial turf fields, May 12-16. The event encourages physical activity through games and activities designed to keep kids moving, laughing, and developing the fundamentals of physical literacy.

Link to Strategic Plan: HealthAmongUs supports the Social Equity pillar of the City of Nanaimo's strategic plan by providing a low-barrier opportunity for children to experience non-competitive physical activity and improve their health and well being.

Key Points

The event, a partnership between the City of Nanaimo and School District 68, will see close to 3000 students participate over 5 days.
Activities have been designed to introduce children to the FUNdamentals of physical literacy, a key step in the Canadian Sport 4 Life/Long Term Athlete Development model.
For the first time, the event will take place on the two artificial turf fields at Beban Park.

Quotes

"The week is about engaging kids in non-competitive, physical play, with the goal of encouraging healthy habits for life. "

Megan Lum

Recreation Coordinator

City of Nanaimo, Department of Parks, Recreation and Environment

Quick Facts

The event is open to all students (kindergarten to grade 4) in School District 68.
Close to 3000 students will participate over the five day event.
The 2014 event will feature events such as an obstacle course, classic tug-of-war, and an Angry Bird themed station.

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