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Media Releases 2006
YOUTH INVITED TO SHARE PERSPECTIVES ON SPORT, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND GLOBAL ISSUES
First National Sport-in-a-Box Exchange Day to Celebrate Universal Children’s Day
Vancouver, B.C. (November 20, 2006): Youth from fourteen communities across Canada are sharing their stories on how sport and physical activity have helped their lives and communities, through Sport-In-A-Box, a programme that uses sport to promote public awareness of both healthy lifestyles and international development.
Developed by the United Nations Association in Canada (UNA-Canada), and supported by 2010 Legacies Now in B.C., Sport-In-A-Box engages youth in a series of fun games that encourage physical activity, while helping to define what sport means to them. During these activities, the youth create a community box that includes items they feel represent a healthy and active life, which is then exchanged with a twinned community.
“A legacy of the 2005 UN International Year of Sport and Physical Education, Sport-in-a-Box inspires young Canadians to use the power of sport to engage with their communities in the global issues that affect us all,” said Kathryn White, executive director of UNA-Canada. “In time, the programme will grow to include more Canadian communities and eventually other countries around the world.”
“Sport-In-A-Box encourages youth to become more active in their every day lives,” said Bruce Dewar, chief executive officer, 2010 Legacies Now. “It teaches young Canadians to think globally, act locally and share their ideas through the universal language of sport and physical activity.”
“Youth who establish healthy lifestyles at a young age will carry them – and their benefits – forward for the rest of their lives,” said the Hon. Gordon Hogg, Minister of State for ActNow BC. “Sport-In-A-Box is creative and fun way to use sport to promote public awareness of relevant issues and emphasize the importance of life-long physical activity.”
Working with its funding partners, including Sport Canada, 2010 Legacies Now, and the Ontario Ministry for Health Promotion, UNA-Canada has implemented Sport-in-a-Box in 14 regions across Canada, and is currently adding an additional 6 regions. The following regions will exchange boxes:
- Vancouver, B.C. with Saguenay, QC
- Castlegar, B.C. with Iqaluit, NU
- Vernon, B.C. with Lillooet, B.C.
- Nanaimo, B.C. with Belleville, ON
- Smithers, B.C. with St. John’s, NL
- Montreal, QC with Edmonton, AB
- Toronto, ON with Winnipeg, MB
"Sport leaves awesome legacies in our hearts and minds but is also a catalyst for positive change in our society,” said Marni Abbott, Paralympic Gold Medallist and Athlete Ambassador for Sport-In-A-Box. “Achievement in sport has the ability to highlight the potential of everybody to follow their dreams. Sport is an opportunity to demonstrate and inspire others as to what can be achieved in any walk of life."
To find out more about Sport-In-A-Box, please visit www.unac.org/sbox.
About UNA-Canada
UNA-Canada is a national charitable organization celebrating its landmark 60th anniversary. As a ‘think and do’ organization, UNA-Canada supports a network of fifteen volunteer branches with a National office in Ottawa and Western professional office in Vancouver. Our mandate is to engage Canadians in the work of the UN and the critical global issues which affect us all, through innovative projects, policy research, and on-going communications with Canadians.
About 2010 Legacies Now
2010 Legacies Now is a not-for-profit society that works in partnership with community organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), the private sector and all levels of government to develop sustainable legacies in sport & recreation, arts, literacy, and volunteerism. 2010 Legacies Now actively assists communities discover and create unique and inclusive social and economic opportunities leading up to and beyond the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. For more information please visit www.2010LegaciesNow.com.
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Media Contacts:
Ian Buckley
Manager, Communications
2010 Legacies Now
778-840-5155
Jason Oliver
Communications Officer
United Nations Association in Canada
613-232-5751 ext.237
