News Alert |

Photo opportunity:  Who: Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh and Pleasant Street Primary School pupils  What: Pupils presented with prizes for participating in Active Ballarat Passport pilot program  When: Monday 26 November at 10.45am  Where: Pleasant Street Primary School    More than 200 Ballarat primary school pupils recently took up a challenge to boost their daily activity levels.    It was all part of the City of Ballarat’s Active Ballarat Passport Pilot Program, which was piloted in conjunction with VicHealth’s Walk to School program.    The pilot program was introduced with an aim to get young people moving and to educate participants about the importance of mindfulness in their food and beverage choices and their physical activity levels.    The passport provided pupils an opportunity to see how much physical activity they did every day, what they ate and drank and how many hours they spent in front of a screen.    Grade three and four pupils from Pleasant Street Primary School and St Columbus Primary School participated in this year’s four-week pilot program, with the data they collected now being used to assist the young people make changes to incorporate healthy travel into their daily lives.    Cr McIntosh said it was important to support young people and help create a more active community.    “Getting young people thinking about their health from an early age will set them up for life, and we know supporting them to do this is just as important – that’s why we have piloted this program in 2018,” she said. 

  “This pilot program links directly with the work we’re currently doing on a new recreational strategy Active Ballarat, which looks at ways we can get more people in our community active across all age ranges.”    On Monday morning Cr McIntosh will present the participating schools with a prize pack.