4.06.2016
Students of the 5 primary schools within Turkish Olympic Committee’s (TOC) ‘Active Kids’ project, in partnership with Nike, came together for the first time at Ataköy Aslı Çakır Alptekin Athletics Hall on Saturday, 4 June 2016. 550 children and over a thousand parents of the Ümraniye Birlik, Seyrantepe Süleyman Çelebi, Reşitpaşa Tuncay Artun İMKB Doğanevler, Kıraç and Kemerburgaz Ragıp Kutmangil schools attended the Active Kids event to encourage children to be active without committing to a particular sport and make exercising a part of their daily lives.
The kids exercised at the ‘sports stations’ set up around the hall and had fun and a colourful day full of sports by completing sections like agility and coordination, long jump, high jump and sprint. At the end of the event, where parents also had a fun day by watching their kids, the gift packs consisting of sport materials were distributed to the children in hope to keep them active for the summer.
About the Active Kids Project
“Active Kids” project is inspired by Designed to Move, a framework for action which Nike has co-developed with more than 70 expert organisations aimed at reversing the global physical inactivity epidemic. The project, supported by public, private, and civil sector organisations all dedicated to creating an active school model which addresses the benefits of moving by integrating more physical activity before, during and after school. Active Kids project, that aims to encourage children to be active and make exercising a part of their daily life, started as a pilot study in the second semester of 2014-2015 school year and continued with the attendance of 1500 students from 5 schools doing sport at the weekends through the year.
The project takes place in primary schools on weekends, encourages children to be more active by inviting them to take part in a range of fun sporting activities under the supervision of qualified instructors. The activities are prepared by taking children’s attention and concentration durations into consideration. TOC follows the activities up closely to measure the progress of the programme. The project that encourages children to be active without committing to a particular sport, focuses on balance, awareness, hand-foot-eye coordination, muscle control, developing overall strength and specific motor control.