Active BC Kids

What kind of physical activities does your family enjoy?
Are there activities that you think would be fun/beneficial but have yet to try? Why not?
What advice would you give to people working in recreation, sport and government who want to make physical activity more inclusive and welcoming for your family?

Active BC Kids Community Engagement is a community engagement project in partnership with the BC Healthy Living Alliance that aims to learn about ways we can create more inclusive physical activities for families and their children and youth in BC.

This community engagement is holding focus groups with parents and caregivers in equity-seeking families and is open to individuals of all genders and identities who qualify for participation.

Particular focus areas are rural and remote locations in BC’s Northern region and in East Vancouver however we are engaging all around BC.

When and where:

In-person focus group in Prince George on September 6th, 2024: COMPLETED.
In-person focus group in East Vancouver on October 9th, 2024: STILL ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS. Click here to sign up.

In addition, two online options are available:

Online focus group for participants anywhere in BC on August 20th, 2024 10 am to 12 pm: COMPLETED.
Online focus group for those living in small towns, rural and remote locations on September 18th 10 am to 12 pm: STILL ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS. Click here to sign up.

For those who cannot attend either engagement, other options are available. All engagements are open to both CFE members and members of the public.

The CFE provides a Child Care Allowance for those with children under 13 who need it to attend an in-person or an online engagement session. Transportation Stipends for in-person engagements are also provided. All data will be collected and stored anonymously. Please note that for partnered households only one parent or caregiver can attend to share the family's experiences. Honoraria is distributed per household.

We hope that this project will also foster connections between families interested in greater access to physical activities and opportunities to impact policy development in this area. 

This community engagement initiative concludes with a final report in November 2024.

For more information and to sign up as a participant please click here.

For more questions about this initiative please contact Zeynya S. Alemayehu at [email protected].

Why We Are Addressing this Issue

Physical activity is a key determinant of health and a modifiable risk factor for primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease. We know that physical activity can promote positive mental health, improve mood, decrease stress, and prevent the onset of depression. Physical literacy is especially important in the early years and childhood to establish foundations for a healthy life.

The 2022 ParticipACTION Report Card noted a significant drop in the number of children meeting national physical activity guidelines over the previous two years and equity-deserving groups were disproportionately impacted. The BC Alliance for Healthy Living 2021 public opinion research on the impact of the pandemic on risk factors for chronic disease confirmed the national decline in physical activity among children reported by ParticipACTION was true in British Columbia. Particularly concerning was that 53% of parents said their children were not getting the minimum amount of physical activity recommended for healthy child development.

COVID-19 restrictions severely impacted physical activity rates and surveys reveal that many of the populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 were also more likely to be inactive, including women and girls, families, children and youth, those from Indigenous and racialized communities, people with disabilities, and low-income households (<$30K income).

There are ongoing factors preceding COVID that continue to negatively impact physical activity for these demographic groups, some factors that have been identified previously include cost, accessibility, transportation and availability of various types of activities.

What initiatives would make a difference for your family?