An excited group of in motion staffers and participants using active transportation

On Tuesday (Aug 24^th) Saskatchewan in motion (SIM) staffers met up with an eager group of people power enthusiasts for an active transportation flash mob.

Here we go agian..
It was the second flash mob I was involved with organizing for Sask in motion. We took an entirely different approach with this one, different concept, recruitment plan, filming strategy; the only thing that was similar was location.

We were a modest size group, with a mighty message! One local reporter said that we “were definitely heard”.

After the first Only 15% flash mob was over it was time to brainstorm the next brilliant concept. A bunch of the SIM crew, including myself are really into using “active transportation”, which is scientifically speaking, using human kinetic energy to get yourself where you are trying to go. In short, using people power!

Options
My first choice is my bike, but I’ve also got my long board (which I suck at, but love). The options don’t stop there, rollerblading, skate boarding, running, walking, and scooters are all totally legit options.

Gorilla Style
My co-organizer Julie (@CHABTHOR24) and I decided we would try to use Facebook, twitter and good old fashion flyer circulation to recruit mobbers this time. We set up the Saskatchewan in motion Flash Mobs Facebook group to keep everyone in the loop. We tweeted about it to our followers. Finally we worked up a couple of posters and delivered them to bike shops, skate shops, sports stores, running stores, recreation/community centres, and put them up on any public flyer space we could find!

Flashing Lights
While we planned the route through downtown Regina, we really wanted to make sure everyone was going to be safe. Some might say that what we decided to do would negate our flash mob status, but personally I think it just made us more surprising. We got in touch with some great officers from the Regina City Police Service who arranged to escort our mob safely through our 2km route. We had 2 cars and some of the bike cops as well. The fun and periodic sirens from the lead car made us hard to miss or ignore, it was awesome.

Lets Get Loud
We wore our in motion gear so people would know what we were out there for. Plus, we screamed and cheered “Saskatchewan in motion” & “active transportation”! We made a lot of noise and people downtown on their lunch breaks really couldn’t help but take notice us (Mission Accomplished). We let the media know what we were up to and got some great coverage from them.

We didn’t just choose active transportation because we like it, here are some of our other reasons we wanted to highlight physical activity through active transportation.

Health Benefits

• Lower obesity risks, reduced risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes, improved fitness, better posture & balance, stronger muscles & bones, stress reduction and better self esteem

Economic Benefits

• No need to fill up gas, reduced insurance costs, leads the way to less roadway costs

Safety

• There is strong evidence to suggest that as the number of people using active transpo increases, the more the risk of injury goes down

Environmental Benefits

• Reduce your environmental footprint significantly! (reduce or eliminate your transportation carbon emissions)

Social Capital

• You’ll be more involved and active within your community, increased opportunity for social interactions.

Fun Facts: A stats Canada study found that 19% of cyclists felt that their commutes are the most pleasant activity of the day, whereas only 2% of drivers felt the same way. (huh…who knew!)

See you on the streets!

Kenji

Flash Mobbers Make their way to ground zero.

Who is having more fun, the kid playing or the kid sitting?

Success! On June 28^th we pulled off our very first Sask in motion flash mob!

It was a total experiment with a new tactic for us. Flash mob have been literally popping up out of nowhere all over the world and we wanted to try.

So.. try we did, and guess, we pulled it off! We had around 50 people with a 50/50 split between adults and kids(5-12 years old). We were all decked out in our matching “Only 15%” t-shirts. We had a Vuvuzela, a couple soccer balls and some good music.

Our goal was to surprise down town Regina during their lunch break with the message that only 15% of kids are active enough.

Here’s how we did it:

Our plan was to show the public what 15% actually looks like. So we set a goal of recruiting 50 people to participate in our flash mob. With volunteers including friends, family, business associates and a great group of kids from one of the YMCA’s summer day camps we found enough people.

We sent all of our volunteers a note to meet in Victoria Park close to the Scarth Street mall in Regina where we would be putting on the flash mob. No one knew what they would be doing; although I’m sure they guessed it would be something active (we are SK in motion after all). The lead councilor from the YMCA day camp did know what was going to be happening so she could prep her team and the kids.

Once everyone was at the park and they received their instructions it was now or never! In 3 groups of about 15, about 20 seconds apart we made our way over to flash mob ground zero.

I led group one over with our music ready to go and our t-shirts on. My group was mainly adults; it was our mission to set up the perimeter of the flash mob area. (As illustrated by this beautiful diagram my office buddie Graham created.)

Nicole led group 2 over with a mix of adults and the awesome day camper kids! [Flash mob experiment lesson #1 happened right about now]: Always make sure the correct people have to correct props. Group 2 arrived without the soccer ball that according to the master plan, would start a friendly game of soccer between the kids (hence the adult perimeter) The adults were getting their grove on to the music, so yes, they were being active too. So we encountered our first hiccup, which leads me to.. [Flash mob experiment lesson # 2]: Improvise! With no soccer ball and a bunch of kids who were supposed to be active according to my master plan, I did the only thing there was to do… jumped in the middle of it all and tried to get those kids to dance to the music!

Finally ( after a very long 20 seconds) groups 3 made it with the soccer balls, and we were back on course! The adults danced and the kids scurried around running, jumping, kicking, throwing any active verb you can think of these kids embodied it. It was awesome.

So we had 50 people being active in the middle of a busy down town lunch spot, now it was time to send a message. Graham blew the Vuvuzela (in case you’re not sure what that is, it’s one of those crazy horns you hear if you’ve been watching the world cup). The horn was everyone’s signal to stop being active and sit down right where they were, accept for 7 of the kids.. which is about 15% of the 50 people, if we did our math right.

Those 7 kids kept running and playing around all of us sedentary people. It was a pretty striking image of how few 15% actually is. [Flash mob planning tip]: The active 15% kids were given bracelets to help them remember that they were going to keep on playing when everyone else took a seat.

Not only did the active 15% keep on playing but the other kids were given toy cells phones to pull out and play on (representing screen time.. get it?). The effect was better than we could have hoped for the kids playing were having fun and enjoying themselves while the screen time, sedentary kids looked bored and sad. We couldn’t have asked for a better endorsement for being active.

After a giving the crowd few minutes to soak up the image of Only 15% of Saskatchewan’s kids being active, Graham blew the Vuvuzela one more time as our signal to disperse. [Flash mob lesson # 3]: Big finish. It ended but it didn’t feel over so I screamed out www.saskatchewaninmotion.ca. It was effective in a rush but next time we want to make sure people know what we are there to say, so we’ll have to work on that element.

Overall we accomplished everything we set out to with our first try!

• The public was surprised
• The public noticed us, watched and were intrigued
• We had volunteers participate in raising awareness around the physical inactivity crisis
• We got great photos and video (coming soon to YouTube)
• We even got local media coverage. Thanks CTV
• We successfully completed our flash mob experiment
• Most importantly we had FUN!!!

We’re not done yet.. do you want to be involved in an in motion  commotion? You can plan an event with our help, volunteer to participate, even do one on your own and send it to us. A toolkit to help you is on the way.

Tell us if you’re interested and what you think in the comments below.

Kenji

My buddie Nicole (that also works at SK in motion) handed me a pamphlet the other day. Across the top it reads “…and 49 Other Ways to Empower Youth” it’s a cool resource.

The tips suggest ways people can help empower youth. If you want to take the next step toward empowering yourself you have to let the right people know. You need to show the people you want to learn from, that you are interested in gaining knowledge and skills.

So here are a few of my favorites on the list (remember it’s the young person asking for help to be empowered):

“Involve me in decisions that affect y life.” – Sounds fair to me. If you want to be involved you have to go to the meetings, contact the people in charge, be informed on the issue (for example: increasing physical activity levels in Saskatchewan is an important issue because, Only 15% of children and youth meet the national guidelines for physical activity), and make the decision makers aware that you want your thoughts to be known moving forward.

This leads to “Give me a voice and vote on your committee.” – Once you show your are invested and informed by showing up to meetings and getting involved, pursue the opportunity to be involved with the decision making processes more directly moving forward.

If you have a positive project idea set up and meeting, present your thoughts and suggest to the decisions makers “Invite me to design and carry out a community service project.” They will definitely appreciate your initiative.  

One thing you always have is your voice, and being vocal for what your passionate about is key when working for change. Decision makers and public figures are often very skilled public speakers. Learn from their skills and ask for help in improving your own. “Mentor me in public speaking.”

It doesn’t always have to be a public official or politician who helps you become more empowered. Write down your opinion about the issue you’re concerned about and submit it to be published. “Publish my opinion piece.”

One of the most important things I’ve done for myself, and I think you should do to be empowered is finding someone who supports you. They will remind you to be confident in yourself and your ability to  achieve. “Teach me to listen to my inner voice and trust my intuition.”

When it comes right down to being empowered you have to work for it and ask for it. Remember, “until you ask or try, the answer is always no and you always fail…so always ask and go for it. “ – Unknown

Thanks to Search Institute for their great piece that inspired this blog. Give Me a Guitar…and 49 Other Ways to Empower Youth.

What is the most empowering thing you’ve ever done? Or the most empowering advice you’ve ever gotten? Let us all know in the comments below, I bet you have some great advice to share.

Kenji

 Reprinted with permission from [Give Me a Guitar…and 49 Other Ways to Empower Youth] by [Kristine Mudd]. Copyright © 2008  Search Institute®, Minneapolis, MN; www.search-institute.org. All Rights Reserved.

Smart man that Mr. Adams, and it makes sense doesn’t it:

 If you want people to care about what you care about, they have to know it exists!

You need to make people notice and remember you (/your group) and your cause, so they can start to care about it!

You have to make sure you can get people’s attention quickly and stick in their heads. You have to cause a commotion to get people’s attention (an in motion commotion [wink]).

How do you go about creating an commotion you ask?

Well, how about a flash mob!

If you haven’t heard the term before basically, the goal is to have as many people as you can show up to the same crowded place at the same time. You pre arrange a routine or unique action for/with the group.

The goal is to have everyone blend into the crowd, then on the signal 1 or a few of your group start the “routine”. The rest of your group joins in progressively as the crowd watches (confused and intrigued)until the whole group joins in!

Some examples..(YouTube rulez)

“An Active Mob“  - I love it.. perfect for a physical activity message- HINT Hint!

“A mob with a Cause”  -Be bold with your message

“Freeze Mob Paris”  -Talk about sending a inactivity crisis message

“Choreography”  -I’d like to see someone try to ignore this!

The wiki definition is: a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual act for a brief time, and then quickly disperse.

Getting Started

1. Have an original idea- People like being a part of something new, fun, exciting, and silly. Having an original idea is key. People want to be cutting edge.
2. Timing is everything- Timing of the plan: where and when is the best place to have your flash mob? Timing the day of the event: everyone needs to start on cue and disperse when the flash mob is done.
3. Recruiting- Seek out people looking to participate in a fun event! Post to activities and events sections of craigslist, local live journal communities, papers, blogs etc. Post at least 2 weeks before the event, and every other day leading up to the event.
4. Clear Procedures

• Define the rules and behavior expectations for the participants of the event to keep the event clean and police free.
• Make absolutely sure the whole crew of participants knows what the signal to start is.
• Keep in mind that assembling in public places is cool, but when it comes to private property you should get permission (or avoid all together).
• If you use posters attach rip tags or include a memorable way to be contacted. I.e. MySpace address, twitter handle, Facebook group etc.  Then post in local stores, on public bulletin boards, anywhere a lot of people will see it!

1. Day of!- On the day you can meet at a pre set location (away from the site of the flash mob) or provide a general meeting place if there are costumes involved.. You’ll know who you are. You can also use social media or mass txts to organize prior to the event, thus avoiding tipping people off that something is about to happen!

A few more tips:

• Don’t touch or disrespect the people present that aren’t part of your group (it’s rude and could get you into trouble.. it’s a no, no
• Keeping the originator (you) of the group mysterious can add an element of intrigue, set up an e-mail to manage to event etc.
• Try starting a group online with the intention of organizing a flash mob; you’ll have a huge potential participant pool
• Have everyone dress memorably (it’s just one more way to be noticed and remembered)
• One more time, be clear about where everyone should be and at exactly what time

Remember, once it starts, get out of the way! It’s happening, just let it develop on its own. You’ll be encouraging creativity in the people watching!

Finally, you are all there to have fun! .. but you could try to spread a message like only 15% of Saskatchewan’s children and youth are active enough…or just encourage physical activity (just a suggestion)!

The important thing is it to Act Out for what you believe in. Doing a flash mob is just one more way you can guarantee people will notice what you’re thinking about!

If you try it out record it, we’d love to see and hear about it in the comments below! Plus maybe you’re video will go viral and your message spread across the globe.. ah.. the potential!

Kenji

Only 12% of Children and Youth are meeting Canada’s guidelines of 90 minutes of physical activity a day. Sadly we’ve slipped slightly from 13% in ’09. That said, we’ve got to focus on the momentum that is building, and the progress that has already been made. In 2007 the national average sat at 9%, so there has been progress and awareness is building.

Let’s be real though, 12 or 13 % it doesn’t matter, it’s pretty brutal.

Here’s a quick break down of our national results for Physical Activity Levels:

C    Organized Sport and Physical Activity Participation

F    Active Play

D   Active Transportation

F   Screen Time

There is a ton more information in the Report Card that you should check out. You can download your copy from the Saskatchewan in motion website.

The Saskatchewan specific page doesn’t look much better.  As a province we’re sitting at 13% of kids getting their 90 minutes/day of physical activity.

Does that sit well with you? It really doesn’t with me.

The bottom line is that if we live inactive, sedentary lives in our younger years its likely we will live that way when we’re older as well. Inactivity is a recipe for an unhealthy life.

The good news is here in Saskatchewan (and across Canada) an effort is being made to make sure physical activity is recognized as being a hugely important issue.

Even better than that you can take this info and make a lifestyle choice that is good for you! Then once you see how great you feel living active you may want to spread the word.

If you have any questions, or want advocacy tools or more info, make sure you leave a comment below and we’ll get you all the info you need!

Kenji

Severn shared a lot of personal stories about her work within the environmental movement to explain how she became a young leader. We wanted the hundreds of youth in the audience and across the province to understand the incredible potential they have to be at the forefront of positive change.

Severn shared a story about a family trip to Brazil when she was young. She witnessed the forests burning in Brazil and it occurred to her that something was wrong. In that moment Severn decided she was not ok with what was happening, and that she would do something about it. She had found her passion.

At Saskatchewan in motion we don’t think it’s ok that only 15% of children and youth in Saskatchewan get their required 60-90 minutes of daily physical activity. Do you?

Severn broke it down like this: Once you’ve made the decision that you aren’t ok with a situation, whether it’s an environmental issue or physical inactivity, you have found your passion.

That is Step 1: Find your passion

Severn strongly believes in the power of education. You have to understand an issue if you plan on influencing change. So get informed, educate yourself as much as you can about what you are passionate about.

That’s Step 2: Educate yourself (Be in the Know)

Educating yourself is hard work, but now you have to put what you’ve learned into action. At this point Severn posed a question, she asked. Now that you’ve educated yourself about your passion what do you do with your knowledge? How do you make something happen? How do you lead?

>>Sounds a wee bit intimidating doesn’t it..the look on every kids face said, ya…a little..

Severn let us think for a minute, and then she explained that it’s easier than we may think. She told us you don’t have to start huge. She didn’t just wake up and go to the UN one day to speak at the Rio Earth Summit, she started small.

So, Step 3: Make a Commitment

The scope of Severn’s work is ginormous so she knows that thinking about the whole issue and how to solve it all at once is too big. Focus on something you can do and start from there. For Severn on a daily basis she focus’ on not drinking bottled water (among other things, as you can imagine). That is one choice she has control over, it is a starting point to lead from.

I am going to commit to riding my bike to work. It’s my way to take on a leadership role in physical activity and help the environment.

Do you have a passion? What are you going to commit too?

Kenji