STRATEGY: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Creating Opportunities for Physical Activity
Through education, engagement and advocacy, we can support policies that create opportunities for physical activity.
Assessing existing policies, including greenspace access, transportation, and walkability, will help define our workplan. We will leverage this data to advocate for policies and activities to connect pedestrian, bicycle, or transit transportation networks to establish activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations.
Through Local-Level Strategies, Our Goals Are To:
Increase access to places for physical activity–both routes and destinations.
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Implement policies, plans, & community design changes that increase access to physical activity.
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Improved access to safe and equitable places to be active will lead to improved health behaviors and outcomes, resulting in reduced chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart diseases.
Physical Activity Support Organizations & Resources
The following organizations work in alignment with the policies associated with physical activity.
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MAKING IT COUNT - TIGHT4LIFE
Tight4Life stands for Transformational Intervention for Grassroots Holistic Training. This initiative leverages barbershops’ and beauty salons trusted and intimate nature to create an environment where holistic health, well-being, and social change can thrive.
By positioning these professionals as agents of positive transformation, TIGHT4Life taps into a network of relationships uniquely suited to drive meaningful behavioral change. TIGHT4Life thrives on four wellness pillars: Physical, Emotional, Social, and Intellectual. By promoting healthy lifestyles and connecting clients to vital resources, barbers and beauticians are equipped to drive significant positive change in community health.
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THE YOUTH CONNECTION
The Youth Connection (TYC) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization located on the East Side of Detroit, Michigan committed to connecting families to high-quality youth programs and resources.
One of the three main services the organization provides is the I2D2 Fit ‘n’ Fun Family Clubs, their obesity prevention program. One of the aims of I2D2 is to increase physical activity for families living in Detroit. We emphasize accessible and cost-effective methods of physical activity and have been highly successful in increasing the health and well-being of families across Detroit.
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DETROIT HEALTH DEPT. SAFE ROUTES AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
This program educates pedestrians on bike lane laws and facilitates workshops to promote safer, more active transportation options. They’ve introduced the concept of a walking bus, where parents and community members walk kids to school, which encourages physical activity and strengthens community bonds, and promotes physical activity as a healthy habit from a young age.
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YMCA
A major focus for the YMCA is building communities, improving physical activity among families, and providing accessible, safe spaces for our youth. The YMCA offers summer camps and various programs, including a cancer survivors’ program and general physical fitness initiatives for the community.