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News, October 2011.

News from the Program “Youth Votes for Health!”

In May 2011, outdoor fitness grounds were built in seven schools of Kirovsky District of Samara under the program “Youth Votes for Health!” implemented by the Alcoa Foundation and the Fund for Sustainable Development. Over 500 attendees of city summer camps exercised there on a daily basis.

From June through September, health festivals that included performances on street fitness machines were organized in 4 partner schools (##135, 72, 112 and 133). Nearly 1,200 pupils and young athletes, parents and teachers, as well as local community members, took part in the opening ceremonies of these festivals.

On September 8, 350 participants gathered to celebrate the opening of a fitness ground in School # 133: 5th

-7th grade students, parents and teachers, local community members and guests from Kirovsky District Department for Education and Alcoa-SMZ. Elena Tsykalo, acting head of Corporate Relations, greeted the participants in the ceremony on behalf of CJSC Alcoa SMZ. Gym teachers prepared fitness shows with the participation of high school students.

In early September, 280 children, 30 teachers and 50 parents joined the opening ceremony of a fitness ground in School # 112. The school’s athletes demonstrated the technique of circuit exercise training on fitness machines. Boys and girls of all ages joined the celebration and even adults were glad to try out the new fitness equipment.

According to gym teachers of Schools # 150 and #162, the opening of the fitness grounds was very timely in the context of the Third Gym Lesson Program that was introduced in the country starting from the new school year. Thanks to the new facilities, now all the students of the above schools can exercise 3 times a week for 10-15 minutes at these outdoor fitness grounds. Besides, elementary school students who attend after-school child-care groups can also use this equipment on a daily basis. In any weather, before and after classes, the fitness machines are enjoyed by children of all ages.

“I lost 17 pounds during the summer and this only because I had worked out at the fitness ground,” said a 9th grade student of one of the schools.

Those who graduated in 2011 now have another reason to visit their former schools: “It’s pity that we didn’t have this fitness ground before, when we studied in this school, because it would’ve been much easier to take exams: after 10 minutes of exercising you’re no longer tired and are ready for the exam!”. Older community members, teachers and pensioners, visit the grounds in morning and evening. They enjoy the new health technology, which is free and gives them a chance to socialize with their peers.

According to a questionnaire study conducted in partner schools of Kirovsky District, most of the children use the street fitness equipment 2-3 times a week “to become healthier” and they also bring their siblings and parents.

The program makes one think about what is a healthy lifestyle and what one should do to be in good health. Students from Samara, winners of the Healthy Lifestyle Lesson Contest that was held in the spring of 2011 under the program, began making presentations of their proprietary lessons in city schools.

Thus, on September 22, N. Abramova, fourth-year student of the Department of Natural Sciences and Geography at PGSGA, conducted a model elective lesson “Food as a Human Health Factor” for the students of 8G Grade of School # 25. Starting from October 2011, schoolchildren and their teachers and parents will have a chance to become acquainted with the best model lessons devoted to the theme of health preservation and healthily lifestyles at the websites of their schools. The education projects of teachers from Belaya Kalitva will also be available on websites for all interested program participants and students.

On November 30, the results of the program in Samara will be summarized and the best teachers, authors of best model lessons, and coaches of school fitness grounds will receive awards.

The “Youth Votes for Health!” Program, that is being carried out since January 2001 in the cities of Belaya Kalitva (Rostov Oblast) and Samara (Kirovsky District), is aimed at promoting new health-preserving technologies for youth and community members in areas of Alcoa Company presence in Russia. Along with fitness training, elective lessons on the subject of healthy lifestyles developed by the winners of the contest of the same name are conducted in schools (www.fund-sd.ru).