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Playing outside in winter or how to influence the media to get people to make the most of winter.
We’re now sure of the benefits of physical activity to our youth, especially when they play outdoors. But what happens when winter is on our doorstep? What are the guidelines for helping us decide when we should or shouldn’t let our young people play outside? There’s a fierce debate in homes and in educational institutions: between the values that the teaching staff wishes to transmit, the way our youth actually dress, the opinion of traditional media and what we, as parents, believe. But how can we possibly counter the mass media “voices”? Because, let’s face it, when all we hear from morning to night is how cold it is, we end up feeling cold. As an organization or an institution, it’s our task to curb the overall trend, while respecting the guidelines set out by the Canadian Pediatric Society, which allow us to make informed decisions in periods of severe cold. And yet, when it comes to winter activities, the “experts” know full well that the secret to staying warm is in layering. So could the key to success lie simply in informing, training and advising the media “voices”? Can we not imagine them getting their advice from clothing experts instead of meteorologists? From November to March, we’d get a daily briefing on what to wear, complete with a smile. It’s only by keeping an open mind and innovating that we can change things. Wouldn’t you agree? As part of its public service campaign aimed at developing social skills among toddlers, the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation developed a series of cards for parents of 0 to 5 year olds that feature simple things they can do on a daily basis to help their child develop social skills. These cards, available in French or English, provide a good opportunity to address social skills in a playful and fun way.
This tool fits right into Memphré en Mouvement’s action plan to prioritize the social and emotional skills of children as a protective factor. Indeed, it will complement the other actions that have been put forth in order to reach the plan’s goal, which is to improve a child’s ability to interact in a positive way with others. Several sets of cards have been ordered for the Memphremagog MRC territory. Educators, facilitators, or stakeholders who work with families in the MRC will be invited to purchase them. Stakeholders can then hand out the cards to parents during an activity and show them how to use the cards at home. Get in touch with us! Pascale Gendron Daigneault, ps.éd, Conseillère pédagogique en petite enfance The 4th edition of the Journée des Intervenants was held on February 23. Some thirty of us gathered to reflect on our practices with the purpose of building a relationship of trust with families who are most at risk. The goals of this meeting were to gain a better understanding in order to act more effectively, to focus on inclusion, and to remind ourselves that the relationship is at the heart of our encounters. In line with Carl Lacharité’s Participatory Approach, this exercise brought out our strengths and led us to reexamine the challenges that are facing us.
Interestingly, one of our strengths is our ability to step out of our “box”, in other words, out of our familiar work environment. Through our personal conduct, we demonstrate the importance we place on the human side of the relationship. The confidence and trust families have in us is priceless. Our guest, David Bélanger from the TACAE (an organization fighting poverty), highlighted some of the meeting’s strong points, including a new definition of poverty: poverty is being deprived of resources, of means (transportation or communication), of choices, of security and/or of power. By changing the way we look at things, we immediately see things in a more empathetic light. Our task is to offer support to these families, which will empower them and allow them to have a better life. A sense of well-being is something we all want. So, we’re not so different after all! Please note: a national forum will be held at the Julien Ducharme Centre in Sherbrooke, on April 22 and 23. More information on this will be provided at a later date. The national edition of Neighbours Day in Quebec will take place on June 6, 2015. For the past nine years, this celebration has brought together thousands of people throughout the province. Its goal is to create a sense of friendship and to reinforce proximity and solidarity among neighbours.
For the occasion, partners with Memphré en Mouvement will pool their resources to help support activities in the Saint-Jean Bosco area, around the Maison de la Famille and the school, on Jean-Paul ll Street. Although the event receives support from “neighbouring” organizations, it is organized primarily by neighbourhood residents themselves, in keeping with the concept of Neighbours Day. The idea is to offer activities that are simple, fun and inexpensive and that allow people to build ties. Moreover, a similar event is in preparation in the Tisserands district, with the Centre d’Ecoinitiatives Populaires, in order to mark the opening of its collective gardens in the courtyard of the former Le Transit School. As part of its vision, Memphré en Mouvement wants to encourage citizens and families to get involved. Therefore, we urge you to promote Neighbours Day by inviting people to take part in events in Saint-Jean Bosco or in Les Tisserands, if they live in those neighbourhoods, or yet by getting them interested in planning their own celebration with their immediate neighbours. More information about the event will soon follow. For further details, visit the Neighbours Day website at: http:// www.fetedesvoisins.qc.ca/ I’m sure you’ve heard about the Charter for Healthy Lifestyles. This Charter reinforces family policies and healthy lifestyles in municipalities, and can also support organizations in their vision for change. The goal of this approach is to get people thinking about what actions they can take to promote an active lifestyle and healthy eating. For instance, if a company that has signed the Charter wishes to offer added value to its employees, it could provide a bicycle shelter, thereby encouraging active transport. It could even install a changing room with shower. The same goes for community organizations that have vending machines, for instance. They could offer healthier options displayed in a way that promotes foods with a high nutritional value, low in sugar and additives. However, this Charter is not intended to impose choices, but rather to launch a debate in order to make people more aware of the benefits of lifestyle changes. To recognize the efforts that have been made so far, and to highlight successes, we’re planning a gala event in the Estrie region on June 18. Showcasing achievements, sharing experiences, and stimulating organizations are among the many goals of the event. There are many entries and each one deserves consideration for its wonderful originality. We should keep in mind that exchanges and consultations are the cornerstones of innovative development. What would it take for us to suddenly be able to change the world in our own small way?
For some, trying to change the world is a utopia. So much needs to be done before any kind of change is noticeable. It’s simply too great a challenge. For others, change is seen as coming about through actions that are taken day after day. These actions have to do in large part with how we view our environment. But it’s not easy to do away with old habits and certainties. They’re the result of our past, our education and our convictions. We’re sort of stuck in a “box” that shapes our thinking and our actions. To break out of the box, we have to be willing to seriously reexamine our ways and customs. Take our eating habits, for instance. Why do we find it so difficult to change our behavior? The answer is simple: each bite takes us back to our childhood, to another age, to a time of contentment. Discarding the foundation for our experiences and beliefs is a very difficult thing to do. Change has to be really beneficial in order to have a lasting effect on attitudes; we need to get more out of it than what we put into it. Breaking up the routine in order to try something new can sometimes lead to innovation. However, “a systematic innovation requires a willingness to consider change as an opportunity.” - Peter Drucker. But where do we begin? We could start with a change in attitude. We could greet people with a smile that says we welcome discussion. We could accept each other’s differences and vision and avoid profiling and stereotyping. We could try keeping an open mind. But to get back to our question: What would it take to change the world? Maybe it would take each of us as an individual. Maybe we need to step out of our “boxes” and help those around us to do the same in order to bring about change. Maybe we need to share values based on what we are instead of on what we have. Even though this kind of thinking might seem utopian, our society could undergo a genuine transformation. 1 And let’s keep in mind that “the secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” - Socrates |
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Juillet 2017
AuteursPar ces billets, l'équipe de MeM vous tient informée de l'actualité du regroupement et de l'actualité en générale concernant les Saines Habitudes de Vie. Catégories
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