First-of-its-kind Social Movement Launched In Austin To Combat Youth Obesity Epidemic

PRLog (Press Release) – Apr 24, 2008 – AUSTIN, TX – Youth InterACTIVE, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring youth to value and live an ACTIVE life, announced today a new in-school/at-home initiative called the ACTIVE Life Challenge and a community-wide event called the ACTIVE Life Tour to help address the escalating youth obesity epidemic.

Working with the Austin Independent School District (AISD), hundreds of elementary students and their families are participating in Youth InterACTIVE’s first-ever “ACTIVE Life Challenge,” an 8-week in-school and at-home program where students and their families take on weekly challenges that require them to get ACTIVE in all aspects of healthy living – including physical fitness activities, nutritional information and other lifestyle choices.

The ACTIVE Life Challenge culminates with the ACTIVE Life Tour, a free, community-wide celebration on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at AISD’s Burger Center. The festival will celebrate active living for better health and fitness with every imaginable activity – including high-tech, active games like Dance Dance Revolution and GameBike, health screenings, healthy cooking demos, and old-fashioned fun Jell-O fights.

“Youth InterACTIVE believes youth are key to making the cultural change necessary to address the obesity epidemic,” says Baker Harrell. “These two events empower youth to become healthy change agents, to encourage their peers, their families and their communities to value healthy, ACTIVE living. The only solution to the obesity epidemic is a cultural change, and to make this happen, we need a social movement fueled by young people and supported by America’s leading companies, agencies and organizations.

“That’s what we’re starting here in Austin and planning to take statewide and eventually nationwide – a social movement that promotes healthy, ACTIVE lifestyles,” Harrell says.

Bringing about cultural change starts at school, where PE teachers are on the front line addressing the growing obesity problems. The ACTIVE Life Challenge extends what PE teachers do in the classroom by engaging and empowering the whole family.

“Today’s PE is all about teaching students lifelong health and fitness skills and the ACTIVE Life Challenge allows students to take what they learn at school ‘home with them’ so the whole family enjoys healthy living,” says Michele Rusnak, AISD PE Coordinator.

Creating a movement for living healthy also involves the community – the ACTIVE Life Tour is open to students of all ages, families, groups, non-profit organizations and companies that support and encourage healthy, active living.

Here are some of the fun, entertaining and body-moving activities featured at the ACTIVE Life Tour (ALT):

•   ALT Austin Entertainment
•   ALT Austin ACTIVE Gaming
•   ALT Austin Fitness & Nutrition
•   ACTIVE Maze Challenge
•   ALT Austin Game Show
•   ALT Austin Sports Tournaments
•   ALT Austin Dance Competition
•   ALT Austin Photo Booth
•   And Much More!

Youth InterACTIVE’s ACTIVE Life Tour
Saturday, May 17
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
AISD Burger Center
3200 Jones Road
Free and open to the public

To take part in the ACTIVE Life Challenge and for more information, go to www.activelifechallenge.com.

For more information on the ACTIVE Life Tour, go to www.activelifetour.com.

About Youth InterACTIVE
Since its founding in 2004, Youth InterACTIVE has become a leading innovator in the fight against the youth obesity epidemic. Through its ACTIVE Life initiative, the Austin-based non-profit organization provides its health- and fitness-based programs, media and events to thousands of youth and families throughout Texas. Youth InterACTIVE’s ACTIVE Life initiative was recently selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as among the “most promising” initiatives in the nation. ACTIVE Life is also the recent recipient of the Texas Department of State Health Services’ “Best Practices Health and Fitness” award and is supported by the Texas Education Agency. For more information on Youth InterACTIVE, go to www.youthinteractive.org.