SOGO Active in Nova Scotia
Sport Nova Scotia and Recreation Nova Scotia are proud to be the provincial hosts for SOGO Active, a national youth engagement initiative targeted at youth aged 13-19. Coca Cola Canada has partnered with ParticipACTION, Canada’s National Voice of Physical Activity and Sport Participation, to deliver SOGO Active through each Province and Territory in Canada. SOGO Active is a five-year initiative with the current phase (Phase II) ending in March 2011. SOGO Active was launched on Oct. 9, 2008, in Vancouver, home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Nova Scotia Health and Wellness is a funding partner of this initiative.
Sogo Active gives youth the tools to design, change and control their own “get active” plan and encourages “for youth by youth” group activities in the community. This web-based program can be found at www.sogoactive.com.
Youth groups are eligible to apply for funding to help support youth led physically active programs. In order to be eligible for this funding youth groups must be associated with a community host (Organizations that provide support through facilities and equipment). Community hosts can sign up through the Sogo website.
Youth aged 13-19 can take part in SOGO Active by visiting www.sogoactive.com. We hope this helps inform you about Sogo Active and we invite you to share this information with youth aged 13-19 across Nova Scotia. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact the Provincial Coordinator, Bev Mahon, by Email: bmahon@recreationns.ns.ca or Phone: (902) 425-1128.
Bev Mahon
Provincial Coordinator – Sogo Active
Provincial Hosts: Recreation Nova Scotia, Sport Nova Scotia
Email: bmahon@recreationns.ns.ca
Phone: (902) 425-1128
Fax: (902) 422-8201
Community Host Information
SOGO Active is a new innovative physical activity program for youth that can help community hosts in a variety of ways. From funding to capacity building, SOGO Active can help provide you with the tools needed to help grow and/or create physical activity programs for youth in your community.
Benefits of becoming a SOGO Active Community Host include:
•Reaching out to youth and helping them get more active
•Funding to support the youths’ programs
•Online platform to communicate with youth
•New sports equipment
•An active partner in addressing the inactivity crisis in Canada
•Potential for increasing facility use (could include increased revenue through new rentals)
•Role in setting direction for SOGO Active in Nova Scotia
Top reasons why youth would want to be involved in SOGO Active include:
•Create/try a new activity
•Meet and play with new friends
•Help their communities get funding for programming or equipment
•Participate in something they enjoy
•Opportunity to become a mentor to inactive youth
•Opportunity to develop programming that interests youth
•Increase physical activity level and health
These are just some of the ways that SOGO Active can help benefit Community Hosts and the youth that they serve. This is a new groundbreaking initiative that is tailored for youth by youth and with the help of organizations such as yours we can make sure that it helps create a positive difference in the health and physical activity levels of Nova Scotia’s Youth.
The Requirements of Community Hosts:
1.) Have established policies, guidelines, and governance structures (e.g., safety guidelines, volunteer screening processes, insurance)
2.) Respected presence in the community.
3.) Experience with youth programming and willingness to adopt a by youth for youth approach
4.) Capacity to help youth deliver the program (e.g., help with administration, facilities and training, provision of a screened staff member or volunteer to support the group if required).
5.) Can commit to helping with youth led activities that promote engagement of less active youth in physical activity.
Youth (Age 13-19) must partner with a community host to apply for funding (grants up to $500), however if equipment is needed and included in the grant application the community host will become the owner of the equipment. It is our hope that once the initial program is over any equipment purchased through SOGO Active grant funding will be used for future programming and activities for youth. In order for youth and community hosts to be recipients of this funding, they must be registered with Sogo Active.
Registering to become a Community Host
To sign up as a Community Host please visit the SOGO Active website www.sogoactive.com. It is an easy 5-10 minute process that is all done online. If you do not see the link for community host registrations on the home page please delete your browsing history and cookies and refresh your screen. It will take up to a couple of days to process your registration but once everything is verified by the provincial co-hosts you will receive an email stating that you are an official community host of the program.
For more information on becoming a SOGO Active Community Host or the program in general please do not hesitate to contact Bev Mahon at 902-425-1128 or bmahon@recreationns.ns.ca and please check out the website at www.sogoactive.com.
SOGO Active Youth Registration is Now Up and Running!
Please visit www.sogoactive.com to register
*New* - "Dare2Move and Win" Cross Canada Challenge
Check out the "Dare2Move and Win" Cross Canada Challenge! Youth are invited to submit a creative expression and tell their generation that physical inactivity is an issue that we need to care about. They can join the Challenge on the SOGO Active website, and then enter their video, photo, or written piece at www.participACTION.com/Dare2Move
Nova Scotia SOGO Active Community Hosts
For a list of SOGO Active Community Hosts in Nova Scotia, click here.