September 2009 - Sport Nova Scotia

4
etting Children Active…No Sweat!
by Amy Walsh
Sport Development Coordinator
Sixty minutes—according to Health
Canada, this is how much physical
activity children should get everyday.
But as children get older, increasing
demands on their time can make
getting a full 60 minutes of exercise a
challenge. Some children get caught
up in sedentary pastimes like watching
television and surfing the Internet.
The decisions regarding participating
in sports are made early in life. Those
who are naturally athletic and exposed
early in life can end up increasing their
time and commitment to sports, but
more casual athletes may lose interest
and decide to quit sports altogether.
Unless children participate in other
recreational activities, their physical
activity levels drop drastically. The
problem is exacerbated by inaccessibility
to organized sport, especially in rural
communities and among low-income
families.
Sport Nova Scotia has found a way
to encourage children and communities
to be involved in physical activity.
The Sport Nova Scotia After-School
Program (ASP) has broken down
barriers and opened the door to children
to participate in daily physical activity.
Since 2005, the ASP has helped more
than 2,500 kids participate in daily
physical activity outside of school hours.
At the end of every school day, the ASP
provides children with free, fun, safe
and developmentally-appropriate sport
and physical activities. The program
runs for two hours and the primary
focus is on ‘fun’ and keeping the
children active. The coordinator and
youth leaders tailor the program to offer
what is of interest to the students. One
program may offer basketball or line tag,
while another might favour skipping or
‘Capture The Flag’.
Along with providing opportunities to
be physically active, another challenge is
discovering ways to encourage children
to be more receptive to physical activity.
ASP has been successful in this area
by recruiting and hiring local highschool
students to deliver the program
to children in their geographical area.
Sponsor Spotlight:
Official Media Partner of SNS
When the opportunity arose for
CHUM Group radio stations C100
FM and 101.3 The BOUNCE to become
the official media partner of Sport Nova
Scotia earlier this year, the group jumped
at the chance to get involved.
“It’s something we’ve wanted to be
involved with for a long time,” says Matt
Cleveland, marketing director for the
two popular metro radio stations. “We
were aware of the many great events that
Sport Nova Scotia is a part of. It just so
happened that there was an opening, so
we jumped on it.”
For Cleveland, working with Sport
Nova Scotia was a ‘no-brainer’. The Cole
Harbour native says he knows first-hand
how sport can play a huge role in a young
person’s life.
“I came from a background that wasn’t
great, and the opportunity to get involved
with sports put me on the right path,” says
Cleveland, who grew up playing baseball,
basketball and football.
“I do credit organized sports in our
province for helping me become the person
Children are more receptive to the
activity when the youth leaders are
closer in age.
It is a win-win situation for everyone
involved in the program. It gives highschool
students the opportunity to earn
a little extra money, receive leadership
training and gain valuable experience
in delivering sports to children. For
children, they have young mentors
helping them lead healthy lives and
for the sport community, the pool of
potential coaches and volunteers in
the community is increased. Since the
introduction of the program, Sport
Nova Scotia has hired and trained more
than 165 leaders in eleven different
communities throughout Nova Scotia.
New to the program in 2009 was the
addition of the After-School Program
for Girls in upper elementary and
junior high schools. This new initiative
focuses on working with African Nova
Scotian and Aboriginal girls. It is also
targeted to young girls living in rural
areas. We know from past experience
that youth from these communities,
especially females, tend not to be
I am today,” he says. “I think there are a
lot of stories out there like (mine). That, to
me, is the first good reason to get involved
with something like Sport Nova Scotia and
help the youth in our province.”
As official media partner of Sport Nova
Scotia, C100 FM and 101.3 The BOUNCE
are heavily involved in Sport Nova
Scotia programs and events including
KidSport, the Manulife Dragon Boat
Festival, the IKON Sport Awards, Sport
Makes a Difference, Milk Sport Fair,
Sportscape and Sport Sunsweep. They’re
also the official sponsor to Team Nova
Scotia at the Canada Games.
It’s a hands-on partnership: the radio
stations provide airtime to generate
publicity and traffic for the Sport Nova
Scotia events as well as to thank partnering
sponsors publicly. They’ll also often
supply MCs for events or volunteers to
help out.
For example, 101.3 The BOUNCE
co-hosted the IKON Sport Awards in
June, while C100 entered a boat in the
engaged in regular sport and physical
activity programs due to a number of
factors including limited opportunities
to participate. We also know that there
tends to be fewer female role models
present in these communities to model
the benefits of living an active healthy
lifestyle.
Similar to the elementary school coed
program, the Girls Youth Program
uses female high-school students as
leaders and role models to increase
participation. The program is offered
two to three days a week for one-anda-half
hours after school. Again, the
program is designed to engage young
females by offering a variety of activities
such as yoga, pilates, hip-hop dance,
rope skipping and weightlifting to
name a few.
The Sport Nova Scotia After-School
Program has grown and developed
over the years into a very successful
program. With continued support from
its sponsors, volunteers and community,
it will continue to be a success for years
to come.
Manulife Dragon Boat Festival and
also provided MCs for the opening and
closing ceremonies.
“Basically we do whatever the
sponsorship requires,” Cleveland says.
The radio stations have long played
an active role in the community. C100
FM hosts the annual IWK Radiothon to
raise money for the children’s hospital,
and the three-day event generated more
than $360,000 this past February.
The station is also a major sponsor of
the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
They’re hosting an event called ‘Bras
across the Bridge’ on September 19. All
funds raised from that event will benefit
Team Moya from the C100 Breakfast Club
who will be taking part in the Run for the
Cure on October 4.
“When we sponsor something, it makes
sense for us as a radio station and for our
community,” says Cleveland. “It’s a twoway
street. We give our resources to an
event and in return we get the satisfaction
of being able to give back.”