Recreation Month Activities Focus on Need to Increase Physical Activity

June is Recreation Month in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, says this is an appropriate time to highlight the need to increase physical activity levels within all segments of the province�s population.

�Celebrating June as Recreation Month increases awareness around the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle and the value that recreation adds to everyday life,� Minister Jackman said. �Together with our provincial sport and recreation partners, including Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador, the Provincial Government is working to increase participation in physical activity throughout the province.�

Minister Jackman noted he attended May 21-22 meetings of federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) ministers responsible for physical activity, recreation and sport in Victoria, B.C., where the primary focus was the urgent need to address physical inactivity rates � especially amongst children and youth.

�It is important to demonstrate to the province�s youth the benefits of partaking in an active lifestyle,� Minister Jackman said. �Engaging them now, early in their lives, and helping them establish a routine that makes physical activity a part of their daily lives, is the key to a future population that is healthy and strong.�

During the FPT meetings, ministers set Pan-Canadian targets for increased physical activity among children and youth, noting that currently about 10 per cent of young people are engaged in 90 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a day. By 2010, the goal is to raise that figure to 12 per cent, and by 2015, to 17 per cent.

Recreation Month activities to date have included a Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador provincial tour of schools, targeted at Kindergarten to Grade 3 students, which highlights the importance of physical activity through a theatrical presentation and activities designed to engage students.

Wanda Wight, president of Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador, said the tour was developed because, as within other jurisdictions throughout Canada, recreation organizations are concerned with the amount of time research indicates that young people spend in front of television and computer screens.

�It is important for people of all ages to be physically active, but the foundation to a healthy lifestyle begins at an early age,� Ms. Wight said. �The play is entitled How Fun is That?! and is designed to educate children about the fun that can be had through recreational activities.�

Through its $2.4 million recreation and sport strategy, Active, Healthy, Newfoundland and Labrador (2007), the Provincial Government continues to work with its partners to strengthen programs and services aimed at creating a healthy, vibrant population.
Last month, the Provincial Government announced the provision of $100,000 to hire four new full-time, regional-based community recreation directors, operating through Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador, to enable the organization to provide more opportunities to increase physical activity levels in the province.
To find out more about Recreation Month, and how communities can become involved, visit the June is Recreation Month website at: www.recreationnl.com/JRM/.

- 30 -

Photo #1: Sean McKenna, past-president of Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador (RNL) joins the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation (TCR) to officially proclaim June as Recreation Month in Newfoundland and Labrador. At rear, from left, are John Angelopoulos (TCR); Candice Petten, Michelle Hunt and Gary Milley (RNL); and David Doyle, Glen Littlejohn and Juanita Keel-Ryan (TCR).

Media contacts:

2008 06 16                      10:40 a.m.