In the Name of Children and Youth

Children and youth are hard-wired to play, move, and expend their bountiful energy. Certain built environments, technologies, policies, cultural trends, and societal values are counteracting such youthful nature. Active Kids Healthy Kids (AKHK) is an action plan for government and non-government organizations to help kids be active healthy kids. It is ultimately a philosophy, or concept, that aims to permeate all sectors having the responsibility to make Nova Scotia a province where children, youth, and their families choose to regularly participate in all forms of physical activity. In the end, it serves to be a major positive influence that restores the youthful desire to have fun through physical activity, in a progressive way that meets the evolving needs of the young population.

Active Kids Healthy Kids: A Physical Activity Strategy for Children and Youth in Nova Scotia

Active Kids Healthy Kids is a strategic and comprehensive multi-year plan for improving physical activity opportunities and increasing participation rates for infants to 18-year olds. It also recognizes the integral role of family and therefore has some emphasis on awareness, education, and entry-level activity for the adult members of family. The strategy aims to serve those who are inactive to be active and those who are already active to remain active through into adulthood.

Vision

Nova Scotia is a province where children, youth, and families choose and are supported to integrate physical activity into their daily lives where they live, learn, work, and play for improved overall well-being and health.

Purpose

The purpose of the Active Kids Healthy Kids Strategyis to increase the number of children and youth who accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate or higher intensity physical activity on a daily basis.

Guiding Principles for Progress

A set of principles guide the Active Kids Healthy Kids Strategy, its initiatives, and its evaluation. Each partnering organization uses the set of principles to develop the initiatives. Some of the 13 principles refer to priority populations, collaboration and communication, quality program principles, youth engagement, support from all levels of government, disparities, diversity, health eating, and a variety of unstructured and structured physical activity, recreation, and sport.

Strategy in Action

The Active Kids Healthy Kids Strategy is organized in five major components, each with a goal. To serve these goals, there are multiple actions or initiatives that are led or supported by various partnerships of government and non-government organizations. To learn more, the complete Strategy can be downloaded here.

Components

1. Leadership and Policy
   

   To lead and communicate policies and programs that support physical activity for children, youth, and families.

2. Community Mobilization
   

   Increase capacity, adequate resources, and commitment of government and non-government organizations to support physical activity at home, school, early childhood settings, and in the community.

3. Active Community Environments
   

   Make sure all children, youth, and families have access to safe and convenient natural and built environments for spontaneous and organized play, physical activity, and active transportation.

4. Public Awareness
   

   Educate, motivate, and support children, youth, and families to value physical activity as a personal practice for life.

5. Research, Evaluation, and Knowledge Transfer
   

   To evaluate the process and outcomes of the strategy and its initiatives, and to communicate synthesized knowledge to inform interventions.