My name is Emily Humbert, and I am a teacher at Bedford Road Collegiate. Over the past year, I had the incredible opportunity to work alongside students to create “B Active,” a program designed to improve the wholistic health and wellness for girls at Bedford Road Collegiate. This concept was brought to life through the Saskatoon Public Schools Foundation Programs of Excellence grant.
The idea for B Active began with an outstanding group of Wellness 10 students whom I was fortunate to teach during September and October of 2020.
Pandemic teaching came with challenges galore, but a bright spot for me was this group of young women who were so grateful to be back at school. They completely bought into my personal mission of creating strength and confidence through movement.
Emily Humbert, teacher
As the end of the course neared, I noticed that instead of counting down the remaining days with glee, the girls were disappointed to see their opportunity for daily movement and connection come to an end. They expressed the desire to continue working together to promote movement, fun and education on all things related to wellness. This is when the idea for B Active was born.
The Goal
Girls both need and deserve the opportunity to receive the wide range of physical, social and emotional benefits derived from participation in physical activity. The 2020 Participaction report card reported that at all stages of life, girls are less active than boys. Furthermore, girls self-identifying as Indigenous reported the lowest participation at 24% (Canadian Women & Sport 2020). The B Active program was created to answer the need to provide equitable physical activity opportunities for girls by involving them in the design, delivery, and evaluation of activity programming in their school.
B Active is a student-led wellness program that provides opportunities for all Bedford Road students who identify as girls to participate in activities that enhance their physical activity, knowledge of nutrition, and improve their mental health. With these pillars in mind, the mission of B Active is to provide a safe, comfortable and fun space for girls at Bedford to develop their wholistic health and well-being. The council
This year, the B Active Council was composed of seven girls from grades 11 and 12, who met weekly to plan and promote wellness-focused events for all girls at Bedford Road. The founding council members represented a variety of activity backgrounds some were active participants in athletics at Bedford, while others had never played on a team before. Regardless of their previous experiences, they all shared a love of movement and a desire to improve their own wellness, as well as the wellness of those around them.
Missing: Farheen
The council meetings started virtually in June of 2021 and have continued in-person throughout the 2021-22 school year. The B Active council worked together to explore barriers they experienced in their own lives relating to their health and wellness and applied this information when creating wellness events for their peers at Bedford.
the events
One of the major ways the B Active council was able to bring their mission of enhancing the health and wellness of all girls at Bedford was through the planning and execution of ten events throughout the course of the year. Each of these events aimed to improve multiple dimensions of the overall health and wellness of the girls at Bedford. The council spent time carefully planning, promoting, and running the events that they believed the girls at Bedford would enjoy and benefit from. They also surveyed their classes to ensure these events were responsive to the interests of their peers. Following each event, the council completed a debriefing document where they identified areas of strength, areas for improvement, and specific feedback from the attendees they could use in future events.
Some of our most popular events included our Zumba and yoga classes, a Self-Care Summit, a Just-Dance party, and a St. Patrick’s Day Olympics. On average, approximately 40 girls attended each event. The attendance grew throughout the year as the girls who attended realized that the B Active gatherings were a safe, fun and inclusive space, and they spread the word to their friends.
The FUnding
The success of B Active would not have been possible without the funding provided by the Foundation. This incredible grant supported our work in many ways. The funds we received allowed for the purchase of milestone markers such as yoga mats, journals, water bottles, and activity equipment. Healthy snacks and drinks were also available at each event; this was an important piece for us to include. A lasting physical legacy of this grant will be a more accessible fitness room; the funds supported the purchase of a dumbbell rack which included weights ranging from 2lbs-10lbs. This rack increases the accessibility and inclusivity of our weight room exponentially, and will have a lasting impact on the council, and the girls at Bedford Road. In addition, the support of the Foundation showed the students that leaders in the school division supported their goals and valued their ideas. The funds we received were consistently acknowledged at our events and made the success of our year possible.
The impact
As a council, we believe the impact B Active had on the wellness of girls and female-identifying students at Bedford Road has been immensely positive. Testimonials from students and teachers identified themes such as enjoying movement, and the safe and comfortable environments that were created.
“As a girl in a hijab, it can be difficult being active around boys/men. I felt more comfortable being around other girls my age who want to be more physically active. I can’t wait for next year!”
Participant
Another emergent theme was that of building and belonging to a community; participants and council members spoke of friendships and connections that were created through events.
“All of the activities were very fun, and it feels like a safe space where we can just be with our friends and as a girls-only club, it makes me feel very comfortable being there.”
Participant
The impact of this project was not limited to the girls who led and participated in the events. The experiences in this project caused me to reflect on my own teaching. As I listened and supported the B Active council I thought about my role as teacher. Was I teaching a physical education program that met the needs of all girls at Bedford? Was I supporting girls to lead healthy lives in all aspects of my instruction? While these questions were difficult, they were important for my growth as a teacher who strives to meet the needs of all students and support their wholistic health. Our project was strongly supported by our administrative team.
“The B Active club has provided many of our young females at Bedford the opportunity to get involved with likeminded peers to enjoy a variety of activities. I have seen a variety of students out enjoying the events that the B-Active group has planned, and the numbers seemed to grow each time. The leadership this group has shown in the school and its emphasis on bringing girls together to help promote their health and wellness has made a huge impact on our student body. I am so glad I had an opportunity to join some of the events myself and can’t thank this group and the teacher involved enough for making this year such a wonderful success.”
Shauna Pierce, Bedford Road Vice-Principal
the conclusion
The creation of B Active has begun to address the barriers and inequities that girls and young women face when it comes to opportunities to be physically active. The B Active council’s efforts, in combination with funding provided by the Saskatoon Public School’s Programs of Excellence grants, has resulted in over 200 girls at Bedford Road creating connections, strength, and resilience through movement.
The B Active council plans to continue facilitating opportunities for movement and connection in years to come. At our recent year-end meeting, there was excitement and optimism in the room as we planned for our work next year.
Lace up your shoes, folks, B Active is just getting started!
“Through our events we built a community, and I am looking forward to how our council will grow in the future.”
Council Member
