Alberta's communities get active!

It was announced recently that the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) was offering a new opportunity to communities who were interested in getting more people, more active, more often!

As we all know, an active community is a more healthy community so ARPA partnered with Alberta Health Services to deliver the Active Community Strategy (ACS) project funded by the Alberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Fund. This initiative will support the creation of comprehensive strategies that connect and articulate local assets to get communities more active.

As part of my position at ARPA, I have been asked to join the team working with the Active Community Strategy (ACS) project. This opportunity is exciting for me for various reasons. The biggest one is that I get to continue with work similar to what we accomplished with ACE Communities. A whole new group of 10 Albertan towns and cities will be coming on board with one major goal – to affect positive change in their communities from a grassroots level. Hurrah!

The second great thing about working on ARPA’s Active Community Strategy (ACS) project is that it will allow me to explore what it really means to be an active community. While my background is in the visual arts, many might be surprised to know that I’m also a … gasp!… jock. Yes, it’s true. This new partnership with Alberta Health Services will offer me the opportunity to explore a whole new field of research and applied learning related to active living, thus allowing my art/bruiser personality to shine on through!

The third draw of this project is that I’ll get to see, firsthand, how an active living strategy can transform a community. Did you know, for example, that families and couples that share play and leisure are more likely to stay together? Or that leisure activities like sports and recreation build social skills and stimulate participation in community life?

Research also shows (and you can check it out on the National Benefits HUB) that if you live in an active community, there’s a higher chance for people to combat isolation, loneliness, and alienation. Or that our recreation, parks, sport, arts, and culture-related activities that build pride in a community as well as a sense of belonging.

How FANTASTIC is that! We can literally use our recreation time to positively transform the quality of life in our communities.

Over the next few weeks, ARPA will be selecting the first round of 10 ACS communities. These 10 communities will work with ARPA on their active community strategies starting in September. It is never too late, however, to learn about how you can affect the quality of life in your community. Contact Janet at jnaclia@aceleaders.ca to learn how.

We’d love to hear from communities wanting to get more people, more active, more often!