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The Government of Yukon and the Recreation and Parks Association of the Yukon are encouraging all Yukoners to participate in ParticipACTION鈥檚 inaugural Community Better Challenge. This national event is designed to get Canadians moving and will take place across the country from May 31 to June 16, 2019.

鈥淧hysical activity and sport participation can help build strong social connections, increasing people鈥檚 confidence and happiness,鈥� said ParticipACTION President and CEO Elio Antunes in a release. 鈥淲e invite all Yukon residents, organizations and schools to participate in the inaugural ParticipACTION Community Better Challenge 鈥� it鈥檚 a great way to get physically active, connect with your fellow Yukoners, and potentially be crowned Canada鈥檚 Most Active Community.鈥�

The Community Better Challenge works by having individuals, families, groups, schools and organizations sign-up and track their physical activity minutes. Individuals can do this by downloading the new ParticipACTION app or tracking manually on the Community Better Challenge website. Families, groups, schools, and organizations can also participate by registering and manually tracking their physical activity minutes on the Community Better Challenge website. All minutes are then counted towards a community鈥檚 total active minutes, with registrants鈥� postal codes identifying which competing community they belong to.

鈥淏etter breathing, better energy, better focus, better mental health. Everything gets better when you get active. This challenge is a fun way for Yukoners to celebrate our active lifestyle. We are thrilled to see this inaugural event launch and I encourage all Yukoners to participate,鈥� said Minister of Community Services John Streicker.

鈥淩PAY believes participating in recreation provides many benefits that positively impact the health of individuals and our communities,鈥� said Recreation and Parks Association of the Yukon executive director Anne Morgan. 鈥淭his challenge is a great opportunity for individual Yukoners as well as families, schools and other organizations to get involved and reap the benefits of an active lifestyle. Yukon will be competing with NWT and Nunavut so choose an activity you enjoy and take up the Challenge!鈥�

The challenge includes one grand prize of $150,000 that will be awarded to Canada鈥檚 Most Active Community and $20,000 prizes for the most active community by region, to support local physical activity initiatives. Individuals can also win prizes.

The challenge is a key initiative under ParticipACTION鈥檚 鈥淓verything gets better when you get active鈥� movement. This movement came out of the 2018 Common Vision for Increasing Physical Activity and Reducing Sedentary Living in Canada: Let鈥檚 Get Moving policy. The Common Vision was created by federal, provincial and territorial governments in close consultation with key partners such as ParticipACTION and the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association.

For this inaugural year, ParticipACTION distributed grants to six different groups in Yukon to help them organize events for the Community Better Challenge. These groups are: Tagish Community Association, U Kon Echelon Bike Club, Flatwater North, Freedom Trails Therapeutic Riding Association, Kluane First Nation and Carcross/Tagish First Nation. The grants totalled $4,200 (ranging from $300 to $1,000 each). Grants are no longer available for this year, but individuals, families, schools and organizations can still register to participate up to June 16, 2019.

The Common Vision is Canada鈥檚 first-ever unified policy on physical activity. The policy recognizes that supporting physical activity and reducing sedentary lifestyles is a shared responsibility between governments and that government support for key organizations is integral to the success of the initiative.

Individuals who download the ParticipACTION app can sync it with any one of the following: Apple Health, Google Fit, Garmin or Fitbit.