Walktober 2019 kicked off on October 2nd with International Walk to School Day. Green Action Centre hosted an outdoor event in partnership with the ModeShift conference and IRCOM. 6 stations gave students an opportunity to learn about urban design, active transportation, and healthy living. These included a snakes and ladders game to explore concepts of traffic calming and road safety, a green screen offering a sustainable transportation photoshoot, art projects to get creative with street design, and a pedal-powered bike blender to talk about the connects between transportation and health.

Over the course of Walktober, schools were offered free photovoice workshops, which is an exercise where students think critically about their school community using photography. It enables participants to give voice to their concerns and share their perspectives by taking photos of their everyday surroundings. Students received cameras and guiding questions, and then were encouraged to independently document their community, particularly areas they feel need attention and/or celebration. Students had the opportunity to shine a light on what they “like” and “don’t like” about their neighbourhood, and the way this impacts transportation and play in their community. 

Eight workshops were facilitated at five schools: A.E. Wright Community School, Stanley Knowles School, Stevenson-Britannia School, Lord Selkirk School, John de Graff School.

Kids Can Move: Bike Blender Presentations

Walktober is about more than walking, it’s about healthy, active lifestyles. The Kids Can Move bike blender presentation teaches students about the unlimited potential of bicycles! Discussing what participants like about cycling, walking, or rolling, what cities and roads looks like around the world, and how to overcome barriers to active and sustainable transportation. Participants had the opportunity to whip up delicious strawberry-banana smoothie for the group using a pedal-powered bike blender. New this year, we offered both adult and kid bike blenders so that participants of all ages and sizes had the opportunity to use the bike blender! 

We attended 7 schools with the Bike Blender presentations, reaching a total of 50 classes at Landmark Elementary School, General Wolfe School, Ecole St Avila, David Livingstone Community School, Elmwood High School, Lord Selkirk, and Sir William Osler School.

Thank you for participating in Walktober 2019

Thank you to the teachers, staff, families, and students who were champions and made Walktober come to life at their school!