Ever Active Schools

In January 2001 with funding from Alberta Community Development, Alberta Health and Wellness and Alberta Learning, HPEC launched the Ever Active Schools Program to support and recognize active living programs in Alberta schools.

Ever Active Schools Ever Active Schools (EAS) is a provincial initiative designed to assist school communities in addressing and creating healthy school communities. EAS contributes to the healthy development of children and youth by fostering social and physical environments that support improving the health and learning outcomes of students in Alberta Schools engaged with EAS are actively supported to assess wellness in their school community and participate through a comprehensive school health approach that addresses health and education goals and improving the social outcomes of children and youth in Alberta. EAS spearheads meaningful collaboration between the health, education, recreation and active living sectors. Through collaborative partnerships, projects based work, knowledge exchange and competency based learning opportunities, EAS works to build and support healthy Albertans.

AMA Youth Run Club	SHAPE	Resilient Schools

Collaboration is to key to success.

If you want to go far, go together.  We would also say if we want to make a difference, go together.  The Health and Physical Education Council (HPEC) and Ever Active Schools (EAS) have been working together for 17 years and have built a trusting and collaborative relationship that we can rely on to help move the province to have healthier students in healthy school students.

There are some key structural pieces that enable this working relationship to occur and as always in positive relationships, people make it happen.  Ever Active Schools started as and still very much is a “special project” of the HPEC.  HPEC and the Alberta Teachers Association provide countless hours of support, guidance and friendship to Ever Active Schools.  Ever Active Schools sits on the HPEC table officers table and HPEC sits on the Ever Active Schools steering committee.  The voices at each other’s decision-making tables allow for collaborative efforts and avoids duplication of limited time and resources.  Structure is important but the people relationships are the key to making collaboration happen.  A strong foundation and history of leaders in our field have made instilled a norm of working together and always acting in a way that is best for schools, teachers and students.  HPEC and EAS have authentic and inclusive engagement.

True Collaboration:  In collaborative relationships, organizations help each other identify ways to solve systemic problems. It is a long-term enterprise that requires organizations put aside their organizational interests and give priority to the common good of the larger community. If successful, collaborative efforts allow people from different groups to accomplish larger goals together. (Community Toolbox, 2016).

After years of working together for a common goal, the level of conversations and work allows for the system to move forward.  

Our immediate needs are at time the “programs” but the trusting relationship allows for system level conversations which are the catalyst for population level changes.

Collaboration cannot be just words and not be authentic or genuine.  We are proud of the people and vision that has embedded a spirit and structure of collaboration in both our organizations to always see a bigger vision and understanding that to get there we need to go together.

Brian Torrance	Elisha O'Lain
Director	President - 2016-2017
Ever Active Schools	Health and Physical Education Council