Promoting Wellness

Healthy and Creative Alternatives to Violence

It is important to take care of our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being all year round. Fitness training and physical activity promotes good physical health and can help develop self-esteem, confidence and leadership skills. Accessible and holistic programs and services encourage active living, creative expression and personal well being for women, children and men. Physical activity and creative artistic projects can help channel negative feelings into positive energy. When people feel good about themselves, they feel good about others as well.

Suggested Activities

Self-defense classes - Hold a free or pay what you can self-defense, Wen-do, Aikido, Jujitsu or Karate class at a YWCA facility or another location.
Youths on Board - Ask local youth groups if they would like to organize an activity or event. Peer leaders can help other youths talk about their experiences with violence, sexism, racism and discrimination. They might want to organize a workshop on skateboarding*, rollerblading*, rock climbing*, Hip Hop, Rap or web-design.
*Make sure that you have insurance to cover any liabilities.
Free-time Events - Try to secure free passes to museums, zoos, movie theatres, drama productions or amusement parks
Create Alternatives to Violence - Invite students to create murals, masks, clay pottery or other forms of art that express feelings of conflict or feelings of security.
Caring for the Care Giver - Organize an event especially for your front line staff. Collect donated gifts for them and honour their hard work and dedication. <See the Caring for the Caregiver Activity in the Appendix>
A Real Sport - Playing sports can be fun, and its good exercise. All too often though, a focus on winning, rough playing, and jeering comments from spectators, parents and coaches make people feel bad. Organize a special coaching session or game that highlights what it takes to feel good - praise for what you can do (even if you make mistakes) and team spirit. Emphasize co-operation by forming co-ed teams or teams of mixed ages, or organize an activity that almost everyone can join- such as a "Walk/Roll-a-thon", a "Bike Ride to Put the Brakes on Violence" or a "Swim Against the Tide of Violence."

Activity Profile "Penalty-Free" Hockey

YWCA of Peterborough

Over 2,000 young Peterborough hockey players were asked to play penalty-free hockey. Refreshments were served and special certificates were given out to youth who were successful at playing violence-free hockey. Al Walsh (one of the events coordinators) said, "This was an extremely successful event and we plan to continue it!"

Facts

Sports teams playing with less-violence are less likely to get hurt and more likely to win.[1].
Only 34% of Canadians aged 25 to 55 years are meeting the "Healthy Living" recommendations in Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living.
More men (52%) than women (38%) were regular sport participants. A gender gap is particularly evident among teenagers 15 to 18 years of age. (89% of boys versus 64% of girls are regular sport participants).[2]
It costs 100 times more to incarcerate a young person than it does to provide recreation programs. A recent study in Northern Manitoba found a 17% reduction in crime in communities with a sports program and a 10% increase in communities without a program.

Resources

YTV has an educational fitness activity for Grades 5 and up. Check out this document (.doc) or Tel: (416) 534-6565x477.
Caregiver Network Inc. provides information to help caregivers care for themselves, and others.
The www.cahperd.ca or Canadian Active Living Challenge is a practical resource designed to encourage children ages six to eighteen to be healthy and active. It is an essential tool for health education teachers and fitness facilitators wishing to build knowledge about the benefits and importance of health and active living. Tel: 1-800-663-8708 (toll-free) or 613-748-5897.
The Canadian Institute of Child Health has published a series of exercises and activities for infants and children aged two to four and five to six. All of them can be accessed through www.cich.ca or call (613) 230-8838.

1 McCaw, S.T. and Walker, J. D. (1999). Winning the Stanley Cup Final Series is related to incurring fewer penalties for violent behaviour. Texas Medicine. 95(4):66-69. <source link>

2 Sport Canada (1992). Sport Facts. <source link>

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