GLM TEAM 
Learners from Gauteng’s under-resourced schools will be jumping, skipping and playing to their heart’s content from the 27th of August to the 5th of September when the Disney Happy Healthy Play Programme brings their activations to town.
· Thabang Primary in Dobsonville will be visited on the 27th.
· Lungisani Primary and Palm Ridge Primary in Katlehong will be visited on the 28th.
· On the 29th and 30th of August, the Disney team will visit Chivirikani Primary, Thabo Tono Primary and Realeboha Primary in Katlehong.
· On the 2nd of September the team will visit Skeen Primary in Alexandra and Tirisanommogo Primary in Cosmos City.
· Followed by a visit to Tsosane Primary in Ivory Park and Philena Primary in Olieventhoutbos on the 2nd of September.
· The 4th of September will see the Disney team visiting the Riverlea Primary and Baernard Isaac Primary in Coronationville.
· On the 5th the Disney team will be at the Musengu Vhadzimu Primary and Rabasotho Combined School in Diepsloot.
Developed and presented by Sporting Chance and The Walt Disney Company Africa, the Disney Happy Healthy Play Programme is designed to empower under-resourced schools to entrench Physical Education into their curriculums. The programme provides fun and creative tools for educators and students using Disney characters and stories as inspiration for leading a healthy and active lifestyle.
Over the past eight years, Disney Healthy Happy Play has reached over 150,000 learners across South Africa – and counting – and all the participating schools have limited resources, often with no form of physical education or after-school programmes.
The programme is one of the pinnacle programmes of leading sports coaching and development organisation Sporting Chance, with material originally developed in collaboration with the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. It consists of three components:
- An Edu Module delivered to all Grade three learners and brought to life with iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald and Goofy. The colourful, exciting posters focus on the importance of physical activity, how to participate in sport and play, and their positive effects as well as focussing on balanced eating and nutrition.
- Music-filled, fun morning sessions at the various schools, in which the importance of physical activity is communicated in a lively and entertaining format to teachers and learners.
- Installation of the Disney Healthy Happy Play active play area which is a painted one hundred square-metre activity circuit that provides a valuable piece of indestructible equipment, empowering learners and educators for Physical Education sessions and assessments.
Natalie Pollock, General Manager for Sporting Chance, explains that the idea to develop Disney Healthy Happy Active Play Areas came about after working extensively in under-resourced schools and seeing how they lacked the facilities to encourage exercise amongst the children.
“The lack of sports opportunities in schools and limited resources mean that less than a third of schools from disadvantaged communities have regularly scheduled Physical Education. It is well known that physical activity has numerous benefits for children, including social stimulation, physical fitness, improved motor skills, as well as emotional and academic improvements.”
“We wanted to create a resource that would enhance Physical Education in schools on an ongoing basis. In the past, we have provided equipment like balls, bibs, beacons, cones, and skipping ropes, but we wanted to take this one step further and create permanent fixtures at the schools that would further enhance Physical Education and promote the learner’s overall health while having fun.”
And so, after many months of research, planning and design, the Disney Healthy Happy Active Play Areas were launched. Educators are trained on how to use the play areas effectively, and in Durban there are now also full-time “Healthy Happy Play Champion Coaches” who make regular visits to the selected schools to conduct Physical Education classes which create added sustainability to the programme.
“The Disney Happy Healthy Play programme supports under-resourced schools to advance their Physical Education practices by providing them with training and equipment and, most importantly, by monitoring their progress and providing mentorship. We are proud to be collaborating with Disney Africa, whose exciting and imaginative content, and much-loved characters, bring the programme to life,” says Pollock.
Christine Service, Senior Vice President and General Manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa comments: “After 8 years and reaching over 150 000 children across the country, we are excited to be moving into another rollout of the Disney Healthy Happy Play program, in collaboration with Sporting Chance. We hope that a new generation of learners will be inspired, through Disney’s storytelling and characters, to bring physical activity and healthy eating into their everyday lives.”
To find out more about the Disney Happy Healthy Play programme please visit www.sportingchance.co.za or contact Natalie Pollock gm@sportingchance.co.za.
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