As a teenager, I took a trip with my family to England to visit my relatives there. One day my Dad and I were out for a walk when we came across a large building with and intriguing sign on the front and so we went it. Once inside, we discovered a large complex devoted to sports and recreation. This building consisted of soccer fields, tennis courts, a baseball cage, a recreational area and much more. While there, we joined in a game of soccer with some local kids. When we finished I felt tired, but exhilarated. It was so refreshing to be able to participate in an impromptu game of soccer without the need to sign any registration forms, buy equipment or play in a street somewhere. That experience became a highlight of my trip and is an issue that I have come to think about many times.

Some may ask themselves whether concentrating on such a minute matter, such as child activity, is really necessary given the bigger and more influential problems we face today. However, I would argue that devoting more time and attention to our local communities is as important as it has ever been. Any measure that can be seen to strengthen our communities will have positive repercussions in a number of ways and what better place to start then the new generation of future leaders, our children.

In general, it must be stated that Canada is among one of the best nations in the world to raise children. We do an excellent job at mitigating some of the most serious threats to a child’s wellbeing such as; malnutrition, providing a safe environment; as well as diseases such as; malaria, pneumonia, the measles and more. So much so that, according the WHO, child mortality under the age of five is 6 per every 1000. Compare that to some developing countries where 1 in 10 children will die before the age of five and you can see how successful we have been. We also have a life expectancy comparable to any nation in the world and adult mortality (between the ages of 15 and 60) is also very low. However, that does not mean we can rest on our laurels. There are still many problems we have to face. Obesity, as well as heart and other diseases, such as diabetes, are becoming increasingly prevalent in children at a younger age; we see this trend happing in other developed nations such as the United States, Australia and England. This, in large part, is due to the changing social environment children find themselves in. Our increasingly capitalist society views children, not as individuals but as customers or, more crudely, consumers. In this society, knowing the limits of the consumption of any substance is becoming more and more crucial and at an earlier and earlier age. The funding and promotion of more athletics and recreational facilities, not only in the major cities, but also in the smaller, rural towns helps build community pride, awareness and good habits. It can also have a countervailing effect on the over consumption of unhealthy foods. The funding for this type of social program is miniscule on a grand scale for a country that spends 10% of its GDP on health (WHO), and yet can provide so many benefits for children who are looking to express themselves creatively.

Economically, parents are finding it harder to provide the necessary resources so that children can have access to the more expensive sports. For example, our national sport of hockey is decreasing in participation as soccer becomes more popular, in part, due to the costs. As well, school funding for extra curricular activities has taken a secondary role to teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. This leaves parents, and more importantly their children, with fewer options. It increases the divide between those who can afford and those who cannot. Unfortunately the privileges of wealth exist in many areas of social life but child activities should not be one of them.

Whether you are a Conservative, Liberal or a Social Democrat, the health and wellbeing of our children concerns us all. Governments should take a non-partisan approach to funding social programs to benefit our youth. It is also important to understand that, although I have been discussing sports up until now, these endeavours are equally applicable to the arts, as well as academia. Properly funded, well administered centres can provide children of all ethnic, social and religious backgrounds with an equal chance to express themselves. It also provides an alternative to the temptations of drugs, alcohol and violence. Finally, it brings people together to share in common interests that go beyond any cultural divide. We should never underestimate the importance of these social benefits as our society becomes more liberal, more diversified and more complex.

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Tags: child activity, children, sports, youth

This entry was posted on Friday, March 27th, 2009 at 11:13 am and is filed under Activism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.