Physical Activity for Health Collaborative
The Physical Activity for Health Collaborative (the Collaborative) brings together leaders from the academic, health, sport, and recreation sectors to improve physical activity outcomes in BC.
About the Collaborative
The BC Alliance for Healthy Living convenes the Physical Activity for Health Collaborative (the Collaborative), which brings together provincial leaders from the academic, health, sport, and recreation sectors to advance evidence-informed initiatives to improve health in B.C.
The Collaborative came together to address the urgent need to get British Columbians physically active, especially those who face barriers to being active. The EverybodyMoves Resource Hub was developed by the Collaborative to provide resources intended to support equity-owed communities to be physically active. Other projects include working on shared priorities such as children’s screen time, senior wellness, or the challenge of outdoor activity during wildfires and heat events. The Collaborative also amplifies public education messages about the benefits of physical activity, information about being active safely, and low-barrier resources British Columbians can access.
Currently, the Collaborative is responding to recommendations that came from consultations conducted with equity-owed families on overcoming barriers and creating meaningful opportunities for physical activity. The goal is to improve access to subsidies and free/low-cost physical activity programming for families across the province.
Learn more about the Collaborative’s initiatives below, and stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter.
Collaborative Members
Recent Initiatives
Report: Families Getting Active: Consultation with Equity-Deserving Families in BC to Address Barriers to Physical Activity
Growing evidence shows that equity-deserving families in BC – Indigenous, rural and remote, low-income, newcomer and refugee families, families with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, and families of children with disabilities – face unique challenges to physical activity. These challenges require targeted, community-informed solutions. To understand and address these challenges, the Collaborative created the “Families Getting Active” project to hear directly from communities about what they need to be active.
Webinar: What Diverse BC Families Need to Be Physically Active
We brought “Families Getting Active” report to life with a webinar featuring panelists from the Centre for Family Equity, OneAbility Games, and Sport For Life. Together we explored the processes and partnerships that enable physical activity and support social connections, skill building, and a greater sense of belonging within communities.
Improving Access to Physical Activity Subsidies in BC
During the “Families Getting Active” consultation, families repeatedly shared that subsidies for community recreation are essential to reducing financial barriers, but can be challenging to access and vary significantly throughout the province. That led to a project to understand how subsidies for recreation and physical activity are delivered in diverse BC communities, what’s working, and the limitations & complexities. Focus groups will inform a new toolkit of best practices for subsidies delivery.
EverybodyMoves Hub is designed for front-line staff, programmers, trainers, coaches and organizational leaders to find practical, useful resources and examples on how to make physical activity more inclusive for more community members. You can search for resources based on keywords, subject, or type. From facilities to program design to signage, marketing and policy development, you can find materials to boost inclusion.