Activate America

Activate America is the YMCA’s response to our nation’s growing health crisis. The YMCA is redefining itself and engaging communities across the country to better support Americans of all ages who are struggling to achieve and maintain well-being of spirit, mind and body. We are shifting how we focus all aspects of our work both inside and outside the YMCA to better engage health seekers. We define “health seekers” as all children, youth, teens, adults and families whose successful pursuit of health and well-being requires continuously supportive relationships and environments. Inside the YMCA, we are influencing and motivating health seekers to make positive changes in their pursuit of well-being. And, outside the YMCA, we are helping create and sustain healthier communities.

Activate America in Progress
For the last few years, the YMCA has incorporated the vision reflected in Activate America into more and more aspects of our work. For example, we’re transforming YMCA child care sites into environments where physical activity, healthy eating and improved interpersonal connections are the norm. And nearly 400 YMCAs across the country have committed to a capacity building process to better meet the needs of health seekers. Here are some other ways in which the vision reflected in Activate America is becoming increasingly inseparable from the broader work of the YMCA:

  • In September 2007, more than 1,500 YMCAs participated in America On the Move Week with the YMCA. Nationwide community events inspired 1.3 million Americans to take 8 billion steps as part of our annual drive to motivate people to take small, daily steps to increase their level of activity and improve their overall well-being.
  • Each spring, nearly 1,700 YMCAs host a YMCA Healthy Kids® Day—a free interactive special event that employs fun, engaging and creative activities to encourage children and families to adopt behaviors that support healthy lifestyles.
  • Through Pioneering Healthier Communities, YMCAs in 64 selected communities across the country have engaged teams represented by key community stakeholders (including hospitals, schools, local businesses and foundations) to develop strategies, including policy and environmental change approaches, that reduce barriers and increase support for healthy living in local communities.
  • The CDC Steps program has funded YMCA of the USA and 40 local YMCAs to increase the capacity of Steps communities to identify and implement health and wellness programs targeted to meet unique local needs.

For more information on Activate America please visit the YMCA Exchange Website and log in with the following information:

user name: ymca
password: 9622

activate america

Activate Southington is town-wide initiative funded through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The grant program is administered by the Southington-Cheshire Community YMCA, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Activate Southington is supported by a leadership team representing the greater Southington community.

Activate Southington is a collaboration between town, business and community leaders to identify opportunities to improve our community and take positive steps toward a healthy lifestyle. Activate Southington’s mission is to improve the overall health and wellness of Southington residents, and decrease the incidence of childhood obesity, by providing opportunities for active living, healthy eating, and physical activity...

The Activate Southington team has established four initial objectives to meet the overall mission of the initiative. The objectives are to:

  • Provide government and private sector support for healthy eating and active living initiatives;
  • Make healthy food choices available, readily accessible and affordable to all residents;
  • Create an environment where active living and physical activity is a part of everyday life; and
  • Work with school system to improve School Wellness Policy

 The Activate Southington team is actively working on these initial actions items:

  • Actively engage the entire town—residents, businesses, schools and community groups, in Activate Southington
  • Expand the farmers’ market in town
  • Improve sidewalks and creating a pedestrian friendly downtown
  • Provide healthy food choices at all town events
  • Create bicycle safety routes
  • Establish community gardens
  • Create safe pathways to neighborhood schools
  • Promote the use of parks and recreation venues
  • And much, much more

 
For more information and how to get involved, please go to www.ActivateSouthington.org

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