Sogo Active, powered by ParticipACTION and sponsored by Coca Cola Canada, is a national youth engagement movement for physical activity. It is designed to increase levels of physical activity among Canadians age 13-19 by drawing on the power of young people to reach out to their less active peers, to develop their leadership skills, exercise their creativity and to break down the barriers to active living that many young people may encounter. Sport North delivers the Sogo Active program in NT.

Here's how SOGO Active works:

• Youth - Youth 13-19 create a unique profile for themselves on www.sogoactive.com where they can network and find a range of traditional and non-traditional activities that fit their needs, interests and lifestyles. Youth participants set and track their active living goals online, as well as network with peers and arrange group activities, challenges and events.

• Community Host Organizations - Local organizations can support youth groups with access to active living facilities, equipment and resources by registering as a Community Host Organization on www.sogoactive.com where they become visible to youth participants and can create challenges and events and assist youth with grant applications.

• NEW! Challenges – Challenges are proposed by youth, community host organizations or ParticipACTION and are ongoing for a period of time (3 times a week for 4 weeks).

• NEW! Events – Events are proposed by community host organizations or ParticipACTION and are held one time only (like a tournament or a ‘try-it’ day).

• Grants - Micro grant funding is available for groups of youth who express a specific need for resources (ie. equipment, transportation, coaching, instructing, nutrition). All grants must be linked to a challenge. Therefore, the micro-grant application form can be accessed through the Challenge section on www.sogoactive.com.

How your organizations can become involved:

• Sign up as a Community Host Organization

• Volunteer on the Territorial Advisory Committee

• Sign up to receive the Spotlight on Youth e-bulletin

• Assist youth in your community with becoming more active and applying for grants

Why do we need Sogo Active?

The need to motivate youth to be physically active is well known and many programs have been developed to tackle the issue, yet 90 per cent of Canadian children and youth are still failing to meet the guidelines outlined in Canada's Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth. Sport participation in 15-18 year-olds declined from 77% to 59% between 1992 and 2005, and many children and adolescents spend 4-6 hours of their discretionary time in front of a screen each day. (Source: Active Healthy Kids Canada) A wide range of factors and barriers include lack of social support, the cost, gender and disability issues, negative youth related policies and the overarching challenge of making a connection with inactive youth. Sogo Active will help youth overcome barriers by encouraging young people to find solutions and make changes.

For more information, please contact:

sogoactiveNWT@sportnorth.com

or visit the national website at

www.sogoactive.com