Activity Report
Location: Remand Home
Activity Date: 13.09.2023
Start Time: 10:00 AM End Time: 12:00 AM
Facilitators: Jessica, Adelaide, Sophia
Number of Participants: 21
Male: 16 Female: 4
Activity Purpose/ Summary:
The topic was mental health and sports
Personnel Input:
– Stretching with all the participant
– Why is sport important and good for your mental health?
-> we handed out short texts on the topic and read them together with the kids as well as highlighting and talking about the most important facts
Why is physical education and exercise important?
1. Exercise positively impacts levels of serotonin, a chemical that helps regulate mental health which improves mood.
2. Physical activity releases endorphins, the body’s natural “happy chemicals,” and reduces levels of stress hormones.
3. Sports are associated with lower rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior.
4. Participation in team sports reduces the risk of teen substance abuse and other reckless behaviors.
5. Team sports enhance resilience, empathy, confidence and empowerment.
They have also been shown to increase executive functioning, creativity, cognitive development, and self-regulation.
Improved teamwork and social responsibility are additional benefits of team sports for mental health.
6. The more time spent being physically active, the less time a teen spends on social media, which is proven to lower adolescent well-being.
7. Teen sports, as well as other outdoor activities, get teens outside so they can experience the benefits of time in nature.
8. Sleep improves when teens are physically active—which is important because sleep is essential for maintaining mental health.
9. In fact, research shows that sports and other types of physical activity can be equally as effective as medication in improving teen mental health and happiness levels—while boosting physical health.
– Dancing with the kids to “Just Dance” Videos
– playing Football outside
Achievements:
Raise conciousness towards the topic and give them an idea on how physical exercise improves their well-being.
Unanticipated Achievements:
That the kids enjoyed reading the texts especially when we took our time to support them in understanding it.
Lessons Learned:
When working with texts, they need a lot of support. The boys were very happy to be active during the lesson.
Next Steps:
Remind them of the impact Sports has for their mental health regularly, integrate physical exercise in the life skill session to improve their well-being during the session.
Supporting Partners:
n/a
