Community Action Process

We work with communities to make a difference in the health and  happiness of Saskatchewan kids and families. Together we're getting more kids, more active, more often. 

A five-step process - We bring a team of experts to your community to work with leaders, organizations and residents. Our Community Action Process uncovers and uses the strengths of your community to bring on sustainable behaviour change. It gets people thinking beyond the traditional – facilities, parks and programs – to changes that make it safer and easier for kids and families to be active, including:

• policies and plans that make a community physical activity friendly
• safe routes for walking and biking to school and other places
• infrastructure to support physical activity (sidewalks, bike racks, benches)

Step one – Develop a community profile
Our team works with community leaders to collect information and inventory local resources to determine strengths, assets and opportunities in your community. Based on feedback from your local team, we use focus groups, surveys, interviews and public presentations. The results help us complete a profile of your community through a physical activity lens.

Step two – Engage the community
We work with you to host a community gathering. Recognizing that schools, communities and families all have a role to plan, the Moving Together Symposium brings everyone together to explore opportunities and come up with practical, local solutions. Participants will:

• hear from an inspiring expert speaker
• discuss your community profile
• take part in a facilitated workshop to identify priorities for action

Step three – Develop a community action plan 
The priorities identified at the symposium form the basis of your physical activity action plan. Community leaders and others will use the plan to make changes that get local kids moving more.

Step four – Implement
You take action to start making physical activity the easy choice for kids. Short-term successes, storytelling and celebrations help build momentum toward long-term objectives. Through its many partners, Saskatchewan in motion links your community to resources that help you carry out your plan. 

Step five – Evaluation and reporting 
Information gathered throughout the process helps communities measure and report on progress toward our shared goal (getting kids moving more), community objectives and key learnings along the way.

We’ve piloted the process with more than a dozen communities so far and they’re seeing results that include:

• more kids walking to school
• new volunteers coming forward
• Official Community Plans that specifically address physical activity
• schools implementing or reinvigorating daily physical activity policies