According to Participation.com only nine per cent of youth ages five to 17 are getting the amount of physical activity needed daily.
In our community, I believe that there are less youth every year that are joining the activities available. There are many different activities for all youth, including team and individual sports like soccer, figure skating, lacrosse, hockey, dance and curling. There are also activities like yoga, Centennial Centre gym classes and community events to support active living.
Every September there is a registration night where you can go to the Centennial Centre field house and there are several booths listing the activities available to the youth. In my experience, being involved in sports such as soccer and dance have led to the creation of friendships and having a greater involvement in my community. These friendships have given me the opportunity to develop social and leadership skills and to engage with other youth in my community.
According to the World Health Organization the minimum amount of physical activity needed each week is 60 minutes a day, three times a week. I conducted a survey within my school for Grades 9-12, asking students how much physical activity they have outside of school and how much time they spend on their mobile devices.
Some of the sample questions were: what sports or organizations are you involved in outside of school, how much physical activity do you get a week, do you spend more time a day watching television and on your mobile devices or engaging in activities in the community, and how long on average would you say you are on your mobile devices a day?
The results revealed that 75 per cent of the 79 people that took the survey spend more time per day on their electronic devices than engaging in physical activities. This proves the fact stated that only nine per cent of youth are getting the physical activity needed daily.
I am challenging my peers to put down their electronic devices for these winter months and take the time to get out of the house and get active within our community. To help with the challenge, here are some free to low cost great indoor/outdoor activities that you can participate in during the coming winter months: downhill skiing or snowboarding in the MD, tobogganing, skating at the Centennial Centre, hockey, and the Centennial Centre climbing wall are a few options in our community.
I believe that you can get out of the house more and engage in some of the activities above. I am extremely thankful that my parents supported me through these activities, because without them, I would not be the person I am today.
