About 400 grade five students in Perth County have received an in motion pass that allows them free admission to public skating, public swimming and other activities. The pass is offered by the recreation departments in Stratford, St. Marys, North Perth and Perth East, the Stratford YMCA and the Perth District Health Unit. Students received a pass for the municipality in which their school is located.
The goals of the program are to increase physical activity levels (very few children and youth meet the recommendations of 60 minutes of activity per day), encourage the use of recreational facilities in the community, and reduce the cost of participating in physical activity.
Grade five was chosen because students are at an age when physical activity levels start to decline. They're also becoming more independent but still enjoy family activities.
The idea for the program came from a similar one that was developed in Kingston and piloted across Canada a few years ago. The North Perth recreation department has run it for the past two years and we're very excited to be offering it to more Perth County students this school year!
