PEDH-111

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Addressing Health and Fitness Issues through Organized Events

Module 011 Addressing Health and Fitness

Issues through Organized Events

At the end of this module you are expected to:

1. Participate in an organized event that addresses health/fitness issues and
concerns

The Importance of health and fitness-related events

According to World Health Organization, health has become recognized as a central concern
in development – both as a resource form and as an indicator of sustainable development.
Thus one of the indicators of a nation’s progressive development is the health of its people.
As such, addressing health issues has become an essential factor in towards achieving this
goal.
Government and non-government units nowadays organize events which address a variety
of health and fitness issues.
With a hectic schedule as well as possible daily habit, a lot of people nowadays seem to
overlook the importance of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. This is where the
health and fitness-related events come in; they raise awareness and promote healthy living
among members of the community.
If you want more people to become more knowledgeable in dealing with various health and
fitness issues, then maybe it’s about time you participate in a event or orga nize your own,
with the help of other people in the community.

Organizing an Event
Events are an ideal way to address health and fitness issues today. From the
government to small advocacy groups, people hold fun and engaging events which
help raise awareness towards a variety of issues related to health nowadays.
Of course, in order to come up with such an event, it is best to know how to organize
one. The success of an event lies in the organization, from start to finish.

Research and Setting a Goal

If you are going to organize an event, the most important part is that you have
a specific goal. If it is an event to address health and fitness issue, you must
first ask yourself: which specific health issue you would like to address? This
way, you can easily pave a clear path towards your goal.

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It would also be ideal to do some research before you start working on your
event. Having knowledge of the health issue that you want to address would
be really useful, and being able to understand various terms related to health
and fitness will surely be essential as well.

Finding a Location
Another thing to keep in mind when planning for your event is the location.
Where would you like to hold your event? Schools and parks would make an
ideal setting, especially if you want to reach out to the community in order to
raise awareness towards health issues. If you live in cold climate, school gyms
or community centers are other options.
Be sure to get permission with the owners or managers of the space and
involve members of that organization in your efforts. You'll need to secure the
site and establish a formal agreement for its use that includes a liability waiver.

Building a Team
A successful group effort requires a motivated team whose members agree
upon clearly defined tasks, set reachable goals, and act with inspiration and
purpose.
Whether you are a team of few or many, a planning team will help you execute
all aspects of your project. Below are some roles your planning team can take
on. If it’s only you: reach out to volunteers past and present to fulfill these
roles:
 Project Development
 Volunteer Recruitment and Management Team
 Communications Team
 VIP/Leadership Engagement Team
 Fundraising Team
 Event Team
If you are wondering which people you must choose to help you with the event
organization, start off planning with folks you know, and ask them to tell
others to join your efforts. Keep in mind to meet regularly, especially as the
day of the event approaches. Lastly, do not forget to assign concrete tasks to
keep everyone motivated and on track.

Plan Your Project

There are a number of ways that you can organize a fitness event in your
community. Here are a few ideas for planning tasks to complete:
 Brainstorm over the kinds of activities you want to do. If you are
holding an event to address the issue of obesity, you may come up with
a fitness event that comes with a session of physical activity. It would
be ideal to have activities for all ages.
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Addressing Health and Fitness Issues through Organized Events

 Determine what kinds of supplies you will need for the selected
activities. Include in this list healthy snacks and beverages such as
water, fresh fruit, and vegetables.
 Based on your location, determine how many participants you can
accommodate and how many activities can go on simultaneously. This
will help to determine the number of activity leaders and additional
volunteers needed. Alternatively, you could host the event for all
residents of an apartment building or all students in a health class at a
local school.
 Decide how you will amplify your voices, if needed, to issue instructions
to participants and animate the crowd.
 Incorporate learning into any service you do by sharing information
about the issues your project addresses.

Raise Resources for Equipment/Supplies

What supplies will you need to host a fitness event in your community? Make
sure to list down everything you will need, from the audiovisual aid to the food
and drinks if needed. This way, you remain organized and you won’t find
yourself lacking any essentials on the days of the event itself.
 Seek financial and in-kind donations from businesses for the supplies
you'll need to run your project
 Solicit funds from team members and/or others to purchase items you
need for successful event
 Purchase the necessary supplies prior to the service day so they're
ready to go on the day of the event itself.

Manage Your Health and Fitness Event

The following tips will assist you with managing a successful and organized
event.

 Utilize to-do-lists for the days leading up to, day of and post event day.
 Make sure team leaders or coordinators are at the site early, the site is
set up, and they are ready to greet volunteers or community members
as they arrive.
 Even if some volunteers will be in separate locations running fitness
activities, it is important that the group start off the day together and
review what you are trying to accomplish.
 Officially welcome everyone and talk about the purpose of the event:
promoting fitness in the community
 Organize volunteers into different work teams. For example, have
different people greeting participants, handing out refreshments,
responding to questions, or distributing materials.

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  Document the day with photos and videos and be sure to have
participants sign a photo release form.
 Conduct your event, offering continuous encouragement to
participants.

Communicate Your Message

Communication is a key part of any service project or event. You will need to
communicate about:
 Getting volunteers to help you plan or implement your service activity
 Building partnerships with potential collaborators
 Raising funds or in-kind donations for your project
 Informing potential participants who might benefit from your service
 Publicize your event using a combination of low-tech outreach,
traditional, and social media.

Low-tech Outreach
 Post flyers in public places
 Use community bulletin boards
 Ask area businesses to spread the word (e.g. flyers at registers or
posters in store windows)
 Make announcements at schools, churches, or civic groups

Traditional Media
 Invite the news media (print and broadcast) to report about your
upcoming event or to attend and share information about
accomplishments. Use a press release or a media advisory.
 Make follow-up phone calls to the news media
 Place free ads in the community affairs section of your local papers

Digital and Social Media

 Submit your event to local online calendars and LISTSERVs
 Promote your project, and document the day, through Facebook,
Tweets, and pictures
 Reach out to a local blogger and ask if he/she might cover the event
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Addressing Health and Fitness Issues through Organized Events

References and Supplementary Materials

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. National and Community Service; https://www.nationalservice.gov/special-
initiatives/days-service/martin-luther-king-jr-day-service/toolkits/organize-fitness-
event; September 28, 2017
2. Health and Sustainable Development: Addressing the Issues and Challenges;
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/HSD_Plaq_02.12.pdf; September 28, 2017

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