Kids in Tumbler Ridge could be getting a little healthier, thanks to a new program spearheaded by BC Active Communities.
The program is designed to get students engaged in active transport—like walking and biking—to and from school.
This is year two of the program, a partnership between BC Active Communities and the Ministry of Transportation.
While the money will be going directly to the school, the impetus for getting involved in the program came from the Parent Advisory Council.
“I got a message from Raelene Bielecki one Saturday at, like 6am,” says PAC chair Nicole Noksana. “’Hey, have you seen this? It’s really cool.’ So I looked into it and yes, it is really cool. Schools could apply for up to $10,000 to build a pilot program. So I pitched it to both school principals and then tapped (teacher) Alexis Murray on the shoulder and she was super excited to join in. So we applied for it and it was just announced that we got the funding.”
Tumbler Ridge is one of 12 locations across the province to qualify for the funding, which will go towards both schools.
Noksana says the funding will go towards research on how kids are currently getting to school. “The idea behind the program is to gather data on why active school transport isn’t being utilized currently. So it could be there are bears in town. Or it’s cold out. Or the parent is feeling lazy and doesn’t want to walk their kid. For me, it’s about two kilometers to walk my kids to school.”
Once they’ve identified the issues, says Noksana, the next step is to work on eliminating barriers. “So it’s cold out. Well, why don’t we get Search and Rescue in or some other organization to teach kids how to properly layer for the cold? Or we might partner with Wildsafe BC to get better information on safety in bear territory, or just look at and promote the benefits of walking to and from school that just that little piece of exercise fresh air every day and create healthy habits for these students.”
While the program is aimed towards students, Noksana says the hope is that the whole family will get involved, because exercise can help everybody. “And obviously, we hope staff will participate, too. But it’s about getting parents out, as well. What benefits would a walk to school give you—even if it’s five minutes—what does that do for your focus and clarity? For the day?”
She says that Tumbler Ridge is an easy place to implement a project like this, which is one of the reasons why the PAC applied for funding for both schools, rather than just one. “If we can create an environment where it’s normal for kids just to walk to school, we’re raising healthier kids and hopefully those are habits that will then go on. That they will maintain those habits as they get older.”
Noksana says when she was a kid, she used to walk everywhere. Now she finds she drives more and more. “It’s a big cultural shift, or maybe ‘generational shift’ would be a better way to put it. Because when you were a kid, would your mom ever say ‘yeah, I’ll drive you two kilometers to school?’ Or would she say ‘Hurry up. You’re gonna need to start walking now.’? I mean, some of that is safety issues, and we’re just living in different times. But some of it is that shift in a mindset that we really need to start consciously switching back to getting more exercise.”
Jennifer Whiteside, the Provincial Minister of Education says student health and well-being are a priority for the BC government. “Regular physical activity and positive mental well-being are essential parts of a healthy lifestyle, especially for children. I’m proud to see our government investing in innovative programs like the new Active School Travel Pilot Program. This program will support students to have healthy and active lives while safely getting to school.”
Other schools involved in the program are scattered about the province, from Hastings Elementary in Vancouver to Chilcotin Road Elementary in Williams Lake and the Nus Wadeezuhl Community school in Takla Landing.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
