Be Active was launched in the Summer of 2016. Over the past eight years, the Be Active initiative has grown from an initiative within education services to an island-wide programme to help the community become more active more often.
We have reviewed our plans for 2024 and below is a summary of our priorities. We also include two documents to look back over the development of Be Active, to read these documents by clicking the links below:
BE ACTIVE: REVIEW 2016-2021 AND PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT
2024 and beyond
The Be Active initiative’s priorities are shaped by States of Guernsey priorities including the following:
CYPP
Improve the nutrition and physical activity environments that children and young people live play and learn in.
Healthier Weight strategy
Reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and young people.
Education Strategy
Equity, Safety & Inclusivity Inclusive cultures which promote ambition and support health and well-being for all.
Active 8
Encourage more islanders to be more active, more often.
Inspire all generations to get ‘Active for Life.’
On-island Integrated transport Strategy
To facilitate safe, convenient, accessible and affordable travel options for all the community, which are time and energy efficient, enhance health and the environment and minimise pollution. Two specific aims which were reviewed in an interim report are:
· To reduce the number of vehicle journeys particularly solo occupancy trips – reducing peak hour traffic by an expected 10%
· To increase the number of journeys made by alternative forms of transport, ideally doubling the number of people travelling by foot, cycle and bus.
A Systems-based approach
Our experience over the past five years has confirmed that we believe a ‘systems-based’ approach is the most effective approach to enable more people, to be more active, more often especially in a small, self-governing community such as the Bailiwick of Guernsey. This aligns with the national and international evidence base. The critical aspect is not expecting interventions to work in isolation.
For that reason, The Health Improvement Commission has aligned its Be Active workstream with the eight investments that work for physical activity, which can be viewed here ISPAH
These have been identified by The International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH), a world-leading society advancing physical activity science, education, capacity building and advocacy. Its vision is of a healthy active world where opportunities for physical activity and active living are available to all.
The eight investments are illustrated below:
Priorities for 2024
Three priorities: We have identified three key priorities for our work in 2024.
1. Building on the work with education Establishments, especially primary schools and early years settings, to create a whole school approach to physical activity.
2. Establishing physical activity initiatives across the Community – specifically establishing the Be Active at Work initiative and supporting doctors through a ‘moving medicine’ programme.
3. Supporting:
The publication of the ‘Better Transport Plan’
The Road to Net Zero initiative.
The impact of the extension of the Paris Agreement, the international treaty on climate change, to Guernsey through the development of initiatives to enable increased levels of active travel.
These are demonstrated in the table below:
