Released 25/07/2017
Every ACT primary school is encouraged to register for this year’s Active Kids Challenge, so that thousands of Canberra school kids are supported and inspired to increase their level of physical activity each day.
Over 21,000 students from 800 classrooms participated in the Active Kids Challenge last year, and we want to see this number increase in 2016. Registrations are now open and I’m hoping that schools across the city will take up the challenge to get active.
Teaching our kids about physical activity, health and nutrition, and encouraging good habits from a young age are essential to ensuring good health later in life.
With rates of overweight and obesity on the rise in the ACT, the government is committed to tackling this problem by supporting a healthy, active and inclusive community, and providing a range of programs and facilities so that the healthy choice is the easy choice for Canberrans.
We have a target of zero growth in obesity and the eight week Active Kids Challenge helps us achieve this goal by raising awareness about the need for kids to get 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day.
The ACT Government is also a committed partner of ACTIVE 2020, which helps us map out the future of sport and recreation in the ACT, and encourages partnerships between industry and government to create an environment in which sport and recreation is nurtured and promoted.
We are also supporting initiatives and programs like the PE Pulse Network, which again is about bringing physical activity to schools, and planning is also underway for a new recreation program which will encourage all Canberrans to take advantage of the beautiful parks and open, green spaces we have in the ACT, by getting active in the great outdoors.
I’m looking forward to launching this program, which forms part the government’s vision for recreation, Connecting & Building Recreation: a vision for the Territory, later this year.
The 2016 Active Kids Challenge will run during Term 3 from 25 July – 16 September 2016. To register visit the Physical Activity Foundation website.
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Yvette Berry, MLA | Media Releases
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