Hurricanes making a real difference to kids

MEDIA RELEASE


MEDIA RELEASE: 09.04.2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Hurricanes making a real difference in Wellington kids’ lives


After making friends with Victor Vito while walking with him at Wellington Round the Bays, the kids from the Green Prescription Active Families programme delivered by Sport Wellington are getting another taste of the Hurricanes having been invited along to their training session at 10am this Monday 12th April. The children, who are from the Kilbirnie, Johnsonville and Porirua Active Families sessions, are gearing to meet their heroes and share a few tips.

Active Families is a programme developed to support, educate and encourage families to set goals for lifestyle change. This is based around the whole family working together to create change in physical activity levels in children and young people. Referrals are received through health professionals who feel that the child’s health would benefit from increasing physical activity and improving nutrition in the family setting.

The programme works predominately with Pacific, Maori and low income families to help empower them to make healthy lifestyle choices. It also introduces the child and family to appropriate, affordable and sustainable physical activity options and gives them the opportunity to interact with children and families in similar circumstances.

Many of the children do not enjoy physical activities at school, so are offered group activity sessions were children and young people can develop their confidence with sports equipment while also experiencing exercise in a supportive environment.

Various Regional Sports Trusts and Primary Health Organisation’s run this programme around New Zealand. The Ministry of Health are the predominant funder of these programmes and further financial support is often provided by the local District Health Board or Primary Health Organisations. However it is with the help of teams such as the Hurricanes that Sport Wellington can offer the children and young people a memorable experience that reinforces the health message and rewards the participants for their motivation to change.

Media are invited to the training session:
Monday 12th April, 10am
Rugby League Park

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