It was called the Moving Together Symposium, and it was held on March 30 at the Rainbow Hall in Canora.
It’s a fitting title, since the goal of the event was to make it easier for Canora and Kamsack children and their families to get active and stay active, said organizers Kacie Loshka of Saskatchewan in motion of Regina, and Chelsey Johnson of Parkland Sport, Culture and Recreational District of Yorkton.
Guest speaker Dr. Louise Humbert of the University of Saskatchewan spoke to those attending the symposium on the importance of physical activity for children, youth and their families.
Physical activity doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. It can be as simple as regular walking, she said.
She encouraged those in attendance to be difference makers, possibly by taking what they learned at the symposium and encouraging others in their communities not in attendance to be more physically active.
It’s a shocking statistic to see, but research indicates that fewer than 15 per cent of Saskatchewan children are getting the recommended 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity per day.
As a means of supporting communities to help children reach this goal, Loshka and Johnson are encouraging them to split the time three ways. This would require 30 minutes of physical activity per day at home, 30 minutes in the community, and 30 minutes at school, also known as the 30-30-30 plan.
It is well known that regular physical activity helps with physical fitness and prevention of obesity. But it has also been established by researchers that physical fitness improves brain activity and utilization, said Loshka.
Prior to the symposium, residents of the two committees, both adults and children, were encouraged to submit their thoughts on where their communities are at regarding physical activity, said Johnson. This included what their communities are doing well, and also areas where there could be improvement.
A common observation was that Canora and Kamsack need to do a better job of communicating the availability of different options for staying physically active, said Loshka. In many cases there are good activities available, but most people just don’t know about them.
Attendance at the symposium was split quite evenly between residents of Canora and Kamsack.
Discussion in the Canora group focused mainly on active and safe routes around schools and the community in general, having more family events to celebrate holidays and improving communication of activities through community bulletin boards.
The Kamsack group discussions included fundraising to upgrade their swimming pool, and starting up a mom and tot walking group this summer, said Johnson.
