Our Vision
Today, one in three Canadian children are overweight or obese. In Nova Scotia, 32 percent of children between two and 17 years of age are either overweight or obese, which is six percent above the national average. Among children, girls are more likely than boys to be overweight but once they become adolescents, this gender difference reverses. Unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity are a large part of the problem. Less than half of Canadian children and youth meet the Health Canada physical activity guidelines for healthy growth and development.
Sport Nova Scotia’s vision is “that all Nova Scotians attain better health and a sense of achievement through active participation in recreational and competitive sport experiences throughout their lives.”
Sport Nova Scotia believes that every child in Nova Scotia must be given the opportunity to be physically active. By creating these opportunities, children develop life-long habits so they can lead healthy and productive lives.
Delivering Health Benefits to Young Nova Scotians
According to a recent report from the Health Council of Canada, Their Future is Now: Healthy Choices for Canada’s Children and Youth, there are 10 key elements that make healthy living programs work. Five of the ten aspects identified by the Health Council are: act early and often, involve parents and families, involve youth, make programs accessible and equitable, and adapt programs to meet community needs. Sport Nova Scotia’s After-School Program responds to all five of these elements and after two very successful years, the program has a proven track record of success.
Getting Results
In February 2005, Sport Nova Scotia piloted the program in four schools with the intention to increase the daily activity level of children in grades three to six. In 2006, Sport Nova Scotia received additional funding for this program from the IWK Health Centre Foundation, which allowed the program to be expanded to five more schools.
Since the program started, over 1500 children have participated and benefited from the program. Throughout the past two years, Sport Nova Scotia has received positive feedback from teachers, parents and participants. Surveys of participants are taken before and after they participate in the program. Parents respond to a post-program survey while leaders and supervisors provide weekly program logs and conduct a self-assessment after the programs end. At the end of school year in 2007, surveys confirmed children enjoyed the After-School Program and that the seeds for leading a physically active lifestyle were planted. Participants showed an increase in their activity levels while all the parents who responded to the survey gave positive feedback and most saw positive results with their children. Leaders and supervisors consider the program goals achieved and gave very constructive and useful feedback for future after-school programs.
The end result was that at each site through fun, safe and developmentally appropriate sport and games, girls and boys were given an opportunity to play games or sports while learning how to be more physically active. Children participated in activities for at least 40 minutes for every 60 minutes of programming which helped them exceed the minimum of 60 minutes a day of physical activity as recommended by Health Canada. In post-survey results, students gave the program an average rating of 9.3 out of 10.
Customized Program
The After-School Program is delivered Monday Friday (3-5pm) to children grades three to six. For each school, the program includes two nine week sessions with the goal of having different students in each session. Each session includes 44 students with students in grades 3-4 participating Monday/Wednesday and students in grades 5-6 participating Tuesday/Thursday. Finally, a “girls-only” program is offered at each site to help target a key group of inactive youth.
Sport Nova Scotia realizes that a “cookie cutter” approach would not meet local needs. Within each individual program, students and program leaders tailor the programs to offer what is of interest to the students. Students in one program may prefer basketball or dodgeball while students in another program prefer skipping or hip-hop dance.
Developing Young Leaders
At each school, there is a Program Coordinator, often a teacher from the school, and Youth Leaders, local high-school students, who worked together with students to plan the physical activities.
The Youth Leaders are motivated, energetic students who are willing to share their enthusiasm for physical activity with the younger students. Prior to joining the program, each participating high-school student is required to complete a leadership-training course, which is taught by Sport Nova Scotia’s Sport Development Unit. Students are trained in the areas of safety, fair play and program delivery. Criminal record checks and Child Abuse Registry checks are also conducted for each Program Coordinator and Youth Leader. Four trained high-school students and one coordinator work each day of the program, ensuring a teaching ratio of five students per leader. By including high-school students, Sport Nova Scotia encourages teenagers to be physically active and supports the development of future coaches and community volunteers.
Along with the local schools, the After-School Program Partners include Nova Scotia Health Health and Wellness, Doctors Nova Scotia, CTV, Dairy Farmers of Canada, and Regional School Boards.
For more information about the After-School Program, contact Mark Smith, Director of Sport Development, Sport Nova Scotia at 425-5450 ext. 366 or msmith@sportnovascotia.ca.