S.K.A.T.E. – Supporting Kids and Adolescents Through Exercise program
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is pleased to partner with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities to offer a learn-to-play hockey program in Burlington called “S.K.A.T.E. - Supporting Kids and Adolescents Through Exercise.”
The purpose of the S.K.A.T.E. program is to help develop physical literacy through a structured activity for children and youths in Halton Region. Participants include 30 individuals between the ages of 4-13 years. The one-hour-long weekly sessions provide an opportunity for participants to learn how to skate and to learn the fundamentals of hockey, provides a safe environment for youths to meet and interact with each other, and further cultivates a relationship of trust between police and youths.
Members of HRPS, including 3 District Regional Community Mobilization Bureau personnel, participate each week as mentors/instructors. Off-ice mentorship will occur during a post-game dinner during which all participants will eat a nutritious meal together.
The 2018 program, which commenced on March 8, 2018, offers six sessions in total.
This Program is made possible with funding from the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities.
For more information about the S.K.A.T.E. program, please contact Social Worker Emily Stein, 3 District Community Mobilization Bureau 905-825-4777 ext. 2308.
Background:
Research has shown that communities in which youth participate in organized sport have shown lower incidences of crime and a decrease in arrests (up to 71 per cent) and an increase in post-secondary school attendance by 26 per cent (Sport BC, 2011). Skills such as teamwork, leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, effective communication, self-governance, and time management are known to be developed through organized sport (A Case for Sport: A research summary highlighting the personal and societal benefits of sport participation in Canada, 2008). In addition to known physical health benefits of youth sports e.g. decrease in obesity, the psychological benefits are well established as well. Enhanced self-esteem, better social skills, fewer depressive symptoms, have been well-established outcomes for children and youth participating in organized recreational activities (A Systematic Review of the Psychological and Social Benefits of Participation in Sport for Children and Adolescents: Informing Development of a Conceptual Model of Health Through Sport, International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2013).
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