What is SmallSteps4Life?
SmallSteps4Life is a fun programme with a serious aim - to help initiate and support long-term behaviour and attitude change among young people across the UK.
SmallSteps4Life is leading the healthy and active lifestyles strand of 'Get Set' - the London 2012 education programme.
James Cracknell, sustainability ambassador for London 2012, is a key supporter of the programme as healthy living is one of the core themes of the London 2012 sustainability programme.
SmallSteps4Life is part of the Change4Life movement, a nationwide movement that aims to help families eat well, move more and live longer. Many families are already making changes that will help them to live healthier, happier lives. For more information on how you can get involved today visit www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/.
SmallSteps4Life will help motivate and support young people to take small, manageable steps to improve their health and well-being through challenges across themes of eating well, getting active and feeling good.
The key principles of the programme are:
- Small steps lead to big changes
- Young people lead the way
- Collective action is powerful
- Emphasis on having a go
- It's not about success or failure
- Sharing what you're doing and celebrating your involvement
- Having fun!
We ran a health challenge pilot in some schools in Kent, which provided the inspiration for taking the SmallSteps4Life programme to the rest of the UK. Of course, young people can do their challenges out of school - in fact some are best for home and it's great to get the whole family involved.
We suggest that challenges are kept up for at least 4 weeks but to really see a benefit, the longer, the better.
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When does it all start and how long will SmallSteps4Life run for?
Our aim is to get schools and young people involved and actively taking part in the run up to London 2012 and beyond - starting now.
We'll be making updates and adding more content to the SmallSteps4Life website as the challenges really take off, and more people get involved and start adding their own stories and images.
When it's all up and running, you and your students will have access to a range of fun challenges, games, interactive quizzes and classroom resources. And if you register, you'll be able to share your ideas and experiences with other schools, because the more people that get involved, the more fun it will be.
The pilot in Kent provided us with lots of information. Four months after it had finished, 74% of primary and 65% of secondary school pupils who filled in their questionnaires told us that they were still going with their challenge.
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Why take part in SmallSteps4Life?
Some of the benefits reported by schools and pupils who participated:
- Building a sense of unity
- Feeling happier
- Feeling more positive and energetic
- Learning about students' lives
- Creating a better atmosphere
- Supporting continued work within the Healthy Schools agenda
- Continuing aspects of challenges - all 3 schools kept up one aspect e.g. free fruit for all, relaxation exercises
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Anecdotes from the pilot schools
“I was surprised at how seriously some of them took it.”
Secondary school staff
“The Health Challenge has made the children aware of being healthy and what they have to do to be healthy. They realise now that it gets their heart beating faster and they get so much fun out of it that I think we'll continue it once this period of time is over.”
Nursery school teacher
“If we can get the children at this age, building it in to part of their every day routine, then it will just have brilliant health effects for them later.”
Nursery school teacher
“I think it's really helped the students think about what it means to be healthy more than just eating, it's about a whole life.”
Citizenship teacher
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