The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Submitted by Saskatchewan in motion When Courtney Whitmore took the position as the Creighton Community School Recreation Coordinator she didn't know physical activity would be such a huge part of her life. Whitmore led a relatively inactive life until the Northern Sport Culture and Recreation District (NSCRD) hired her, but she was looking for a change and her new job provided just that. She was tasked with providing programming for the small northern community of about 1,500 people that was either sport, culturally or recreationally friendly. Not long after she began planning for the upcoming year, Whitmore read an article that inspired her to add a special focus to her programming. The article, which profiled the significant decrease in physical activity of girls once they reach high school, sparked Whitmore's determination to encourage girls to continue to be active through their lives. In Saskatchewan less than 15 per cent of our kids at active enough, which is unfortunately at par with the Canadian statistics. According to the 2011 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card, only nine per cent of boys and four per cent of girls meet the new Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. So working with the girls and young women in the community of Creighton certainly was the right path for Whitmore to proceed with. She developed two specialized programs called Girls Group and Fit for Females, which focused on building self esteem, a sense of community support and lifelong desire for girls and women to be physically active. Easy choice Whitmore realized that through her role, she was helping make physical activity the easy choice for girls in her program. By leading the Girls Group and the Fit for Females programs, Whitmore watched herself and the participants change. "Our bodies have changed on the inside and the outside. We've learned that it's important to feel good about yourself and the best way to do that is to take care of your health," she explained. Whitmore works hard to keep things fresh for both groups by ensuring the programming has lots of variety. The Fit for Females participants discuss and decide what type of physical activity they're going to go and then Whitmore posts the upcoming activity on the group's facebook page. Over the past year Fit for Female participants have tried beach, track, hip hop and zumba workouts, just to name a few. Whitmore says she can attribute two things about the success of the programs: "I believe it's the sense of ownership the participants have assumed over their bodies and the supportive community that the girls and women have established." In addition to the female specific programming Whitmore runs several other programs throughout the year. Namely: the Junior SPCA Club, Photography club, snow shoe program, Kids Cooking Club, Aboriginal crafting and several other community events. Whitmore is thankful for the opportunities she's able to provide, but she believes there is still a shortage of affordable recreational activities in Creighton. Whitmore continues to encourage the community of Creighton to choose physical activity. "I tell people continuously that physical activity will prolong their child's life because I know it's the only way we can foster a lifetime of good health," she said.
