National Sports Convention program explores encouraging children and young people to be more active

Organisers of the 2019 National Sports Convention have advised that a significant element of the program will focus on future generations, exploring how to engage and encourage more children and young people to be more active, how to encourage recreation and participation in community sport.

The program will feature world renowned expert Professor Mark Tremblay, the Canadian-based President of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, who will be sharing his insights on how the Alliance’s 517 experts compared 49 countries from six continents to assess global trends in childhood physical activity in developed and developing nations, resulting in the ‘Global Matrix 3.0’ comparison of grades.

Australia received an overall grade of ‘D-’, with a ‘B-’ in organised sport and physical activity, but a D+’ only for active transportation and ‘D-’ for sedentary behaviour.

Joining Professor Tremblay at the National Sports Convention’s Global Thought Leaders Session on Thursday 25th July will be keynote speaker Alison Oliver, Chief Executive of the United Kingdom’s Youth Sport Trust, who will share with the challenges and success that the UK are facing with activating young people.

With over 20 years’ experience and dozens of programs, tools and insights that they make accessible to their collaborators, the Trust’sphilosophy is to support schools, teachers, parents and coaches tackle the challenges that young people are facing.

The pair will be joined by a panel of Australian and New Zealand experts to discuss the key challenges and explore how the global research and approach that the Youth Sports Trust are taking could help in Australia and New Zealand improve their score on the Global Matrix 3.0.

Other expert members joining the panel discussion will include:

• Pierre Comis, Director, Physical Literacy Leadership - Sport Australia
• Fran McEwen, Young People Strategy Lead - Sport New Zealand
• Associate Professor Shane Pill, National President - ACHPER and Flinders University
• Associate Professor Kylie Hesketh, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition - Deakin University

The Global Thought Leaders Session is part of the National Sports Convention 2019, Australia and New Zealand’s leading gathering of sport, government, education, health, commercial, leaders, policy makers and providers in the physical activity, recreation and community sports sectors.

For more information on Global Matrix 3.0. go to www.activehealthykids.org/global-matrix/

For more information on the National Sports Convention click here to view details in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Top image courtesy of Shepparton Sports City.