ACTIVE Halifax Communities is an exciting and dynamic initiative aimed at helping communities and practitioners in the Halifax Regional Municipality to embrace and encourage active living opportunities for children, youth, and their families.

Our Mission and Vision

What Can We Do for You?

Why Do We Need and ACTIVE Communities Initiative?

Mission

ACTIVE Halifax Communities exists for the purpose of increasing the number of physically active children, youth and families in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Through collaborative partnerships, we strive to mobilize communities to increase the number of active opportunities available. Key to this initiative is building awareness and advocacy, participation, and building community capacity for active living.

Vision

Communities in the Halifax Regional Municipality welcome, encourage, support and celebrate active living. Through the cumulative and collaborative efforts of many organizations, there has been a decrease in the number of inactive children and an increase in the number of children, youth and families engaging in active lifestyles.

What can we do for you?

ACTIVE Halifax Communities works hard to develop services and resources to support active living opportunities in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Here are just a few things that we can do for you ...

• Provide consultation and facilitation support for physical activity initiatives
• Educate groups through our AHC workshop series
• Distribute and disseminate information regarding physical activity programming and resource opportunities
• Pursue partnerships that would increase physical activity opportunity in your community
• Promote identified physical activity initiatives

Why do we need an ACTIVE Communities Initiative?

In 1998 a working group of government and non-government leaders came together to address the inactivity problem among youth in Nova Scotia. After extensive research and wider input from stakeholders and youth, they created a strategy called Active Kids, Healthy Kids (AKHK). This strategy is to realize a vision in which Nova Scotia’s children and youth are physically active.

The research conducted in 2000-2001, used a motion counter to measure activity levels of students. The results showed that only 1 in 10 grade eleven students were getting enough activity to achieve health benefits. For the purpose of this research, 60 minutes (accumulated) of moderate to vigorous activity 5 or more days a week, was used as a baseline. There were no discrepancies among regions in Nova Scotia. The graph below presents the results of the study. The graph figures are applicable to children and youth in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Objectively Measured* Physical Activity Levels
of Nova Scotian Children and Youth**
(Applies Within Halifax Regional Municipality)

A fundamental component of the AKHK strategy is Active Communities. ACTIVE Halifax Communities represents this component of the AKHK strategy for the Halifax Regional Municipality.