Reebok Canada Partners with Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Football League to Provide BOKS to Elementary School Students in Canada
Free Morning Physical Activity Program to Commence this Fall in Elementary Schools across Canada
Reebok Canada has partnered with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Football League (CFL) to expand and enhance physical activity in Canadian elementary schools through BOKS (Build Our Kids’ Success). With a goal to enlist more than 450 schools in the next five years, BOKS, a free morning physical activity program, will launch in 10 schools this September, serving more than 400 kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. An initiative of Reebok and the Reebok Canada Fitness Foundation, BOKS is designed to get kids’ bodies moving in the morning and their brains ready for a day of learning.
BOKS aims to help improve kids’ academic performance and overall health through physical activity and nutritional knowledge. The program reinforces the Public Health Agency of Canada’s commitment to help all students meet the medically recommended goal of 60 minutes of physical activity every day. As part of the agreement, the Public Health Agency of Canada is providing funding that will go to hiring and training BOKS staff, marketing, promotion, research and start-up equipment for schools throughout Canada.
Additionally, the CFL, which has been actively involved in Canadian communities throughout its rich history, will help raise awareness of BOKS. The CFL will provide marketing support ranging from digital, social and in-stadium assets and activations. Its players will make visits to participating schools to help students live a healthy lifestyle and excite them to get active.
BOKS was started by Kathleen Tullie and a group of moms in 2009 who were inspired by Dr. John Ratey’s book Spark, which provides compelling evidence that physical activity will supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking and enhance memory in kids. Run by community volunteers, including moms, dads, teachers and anyone passionate about getting kids active, BOKS provides free training, curriculum and support for those interested in bringing the program to their school. BOKS is a 45-minute session and runs a minimum of twice a week at school. A typical BOKS class includes warm up, a running related activity, skill of the week (i.e sit-ups), a fun game, a cool down period and a BOKS nutritional bit before the students are transitioned off to their classes.
For more information about BOKS, visit www.bokskids.org, the BOKS Facebook page or the BOKS Twitter handle.
About BOKS (Build Our Kids’ Success)
BOKS, Build Our Kids’ Success, an initiative of Reebok and the Reebok Foundation, is a free morning physical activity program. BOKS was founded on the principle Active Kids = Active Minds, and was created by a group of moms after reading Dr. John Ratey’s book Spark, which states that “exercise is the single most powerful tool that we have to optimize the function of our brains.” The goal of the BOKS program is to enhance academic performance and the overall health of kids through physical activity. The program, run by moms, dads, P.E. teachers and all other types of volunteers in local communities, is simple to implement. BOKS is currently in more than 1,200 schools around the world
