Join Northamptonshire Scouts in Walking to Kenya - No Passports Required

NORTHAMPTON, U.K. - May 18, 2015 - PRLog -- World-Walk Adventure by Northamptonshire County Scouts Northamptonshire Scouts have teamed-up with Cambridgeshire Company Activ8rlives to bring a 21st Century twist to promote health and wellbeing to a generation of Scouts by using wrist-worn activity trackers to motivate being more physically active.

Being active, enjoying the outdoor life and learning skills about healthy living to promote physical and mental wellbeing - and having fun while doing it - is what the Scouting Movement has been about since it was founded in 1907 by Lord Robert Baden-Powell.

Northamptonshire Scouts have teamed-up with Cambridgeshire Company Activ8rlives to bring a 21st Century twist to promote health and wellbeing to a generation of Scouts by using wrist-worn activity trackers to motivate being more physically active.

Teams of 10 Scouts based at their local Scout Troop/Explorer Scout Unit will be going on a virtual journey.

They will upload their daily step count from their activity trackers called BuddyBand2™, to their Smartphones or Tablets. These are combined online at the Activ8rlives website (www.activ8rlives.com) and plotted along the route created in Google Earth™. The more the Scouts walk, the more progress is made along the route. Each Team can see the location of the other Groups online to add a level of team-based competition.

Their journey takes them from the Scout’s Sir John Lowther Centre in Glendon Northamptonshire to Nyeri in Kenya, via Paris, the Alps, through Istanbul, into North Africa, past the Pyramids, travelling up the Nile River and onto the final resting place of the founder of the Scouting movement in Kenya to pay tribute to Lord Robert Baden-Powell.

The route is 7,599 miles long, and will take each team about 6 months to make the virtual journey together.

The project was made possible by funding from the Big Lottery Fund so that the BuddyBand2™ activity tracker could be provided free to the Scouts taking part. The Northamptonshire County Scouts and Activ8rlives have collaborated for over a year to bring the programme to life and make it suitable for the Scouts in Northamptonshire. It is estimated that 500 people will take part in the walk.

The Scouts will clock up the steps by walking to school more often, taking the long-way around to the shops, or squeezing in an extra walk with the family dog. This activity will also give the Scouts the opportunity to raise money for projects in their local community or raise sponsorship for a nominated charity. Northamptonshire County Scouts (a registered charity) also supports a project in Africa by raising money for a school in Bwaise, Uganda. In particular, they are seeking sponsorship from companies and corporations in our area – perhaps companies who would also like to encourage their staff to be more active. By sponsoring a Scout Group and by joining the walk to Kenya on Activ8rlives with them, workforce health is improved and absenteeism due to illness reduced. Progress of the Scout Groups will be available online for supporters to cheer on the Group they have sponsored. This is a very novel way to engage everyone in being more active and is a modern spin on the “Bob a Job” approach to fund raising in the internet era.

“We wanted to create a new programme for the many young people who are Scouts in Northamptonshire and it had to engage all of us and on many levels.” said Tony Keay – County Commissioner, Northamptonshire County Scouts. “Being active is key to a healthy lifestyle whatever our age. This is as much for the Scout Leaders as it is for the young people we work with in the Scouting movement. Being active has shown to have significant health benefits: reduction in rates of cancer, better management of Type 2 Diabetes, reduction in heart and respiratory disease as well as support in achieving a healthy weight

“What is novel and unusual about this programme, the first of its type to be offered by the Scouts anywhere in the World, is that we are using 21st Century technology to do what Lord Baden-Powell introduced over 100 years ago.”

“Now as it was then, our volunteers are working with our young people to bring about improvements in Public Health deployed via the voluntary sector with the financial support of the Big Lottery Fund, and in partnership with a local small British company. If Scouts of all ages feel the benefit of walking 10,000 steps a day (and we are sure they will) the scheme could be delivered at scale and nationally by the Scout Movement to the 450,000 young people who are part of this amazing organisation in the UK. Engagement by companies through sponsorship and adoption is a way to spread the message of being more active in our community. Learning leadership skills, engaging in voluntary service and maintaining physical and mental health are activities that our Founder spent his life teaching.”

Ends

About Scouting

Scouting is a worldwide youth led organisation which puts fun and adventure at the heart of everything we do. Founded by Lord Robert Baden-Powell in 1907, Scouting takes place 216 countries around the world and has over 31 million young people enjoying Scouting activities on a regular basis.

Scouting is based on the fundamental values of Integrity, Respect, Care, Belief, and Co-Operation. By combining these values, young people are encouraged to explore their personal and spiritual development as well as being able to make a positive contribution to society.

Whilst the founding principles of Scouting may not have changed in over 100 years, the young people’s programme is constantly evolving to reflect the world today. This includes the increasing use of modern technology in our lives as well as looking at traditional Scouting skills and putting a modern twist on them. This ensures a modern learning experience that gains maximum engagement from the young people.

Bear Grylls, our Chief Scout said it best: ‘Every child has a right to have an adventure. Life is about grabbing opportunities. The prizes don’t always go to the biggest, the best and strongest—they go to those who persevere. These are simple life lessons that Scouting teaches people.’

About Aseptika Ltd

Aseptika Limited is a healthcare company developing and marketing an integrated suite of self-monitoring devices and services under the Activ8rlives brand. The Company is developing integrated systems which can be used by laypeople and their healthcare service providers to better self-monitor long-term wellness and support those with Long-Term Health Conditions through self-management.


Press contacts:
Northamptonshire Scouts
David and Jennie Curtis
Northamptonshire County Media Managers
media@northamptonshirecountyscouts.org.uk
Direct: +44 (0)1327 261886
Mobile: +44 (0)7775 758580 (Jennie)
Mobile: +44 (0)7778 421442 (David)

Aseptika Ltd (Activ8rlives)
Jessica Auton
Marketing Director
jessica.auton@aseptika.com
Direct: +44 (0)1480 352 821
Mobile: +44 (0)7455 922 122