Play for Health With Disney

COACHES ACROSS CONTINENTS, DISNEY & LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS ‘PLAY FOR HEALTH’ IN LATIN AMERICA

• Disney believes in the importance of healthy living and nutrition for children globally.
• In line with that belief Coaches Across Continents is pleased to announce ‘Play for Health’, an international initiative using play to promote healthy living, nutrition, and physical activity in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.
• 8 established community organizations will deliver sustainable education programs teaching underserved youth aged 11-18 why healthy living is important.

Coaches Across Continents (CAC) and Creating Legacies 17 is delighted to be working with Disney on ‘Play for Health’, an expanded initiative promoting healthy living within low socio-economic communities in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. CAC have designed a unique play-based healthy living curriculum which ensures youth leaders have the tools to discuss vital Disney messages around nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and hydration. The curriculum is consistent while being adaptable for the specific challenges facing a diverse range of communities in the chosen countries. CAC is training 8 community partners and their youth leaders in the 3 countries about using the curriculum, ensuring child protection, and core coaching methodology.

After piloting the initiative in 2 communities in 2020/21 we are delighted to expand this program to 8 communities in 2021/22. In each community established partner organizations have been selected to receive the curriculum and training and deliver play-based youth programs with underserved populations.

In Argentina this initiative will be delivered in Bolougne ( Revolucion Pelota and Starte), Buenos Aires (Queres Jugar), and Mar del Plata (Cambio de Paso).

In Brazil this initiative will be delivered in Campo Limpo, SP (Instituto Barrichello) and Morro do Castro, RJ (UMRio/ONERio).

In Mexico this initiative will be delivered in Guanajuato (Vibra Leon), Puebla (Topos FC), and Valle de Chalco (Natlik A.C.)

The anticipated impact of this initiative is that 80 leaders will be trained to be healthy living community educators and 4,000 underserved youth aged 11-18 will be educated in Disney healthy living. The beneficiaries vary depending on the partner organization and community; from blind youth in Puebla, Mexico to children at-risk of hunger in Morro do Castro, Brazil.

We are excited to bring this partnership to new communities, delivered within local COVID-19 restrictions.

“At Disney we know that our stories reach millions of families in the entire region, and that is why we have an enormous responsibility and opportunity in inspire positive habits and values. Diet, active life, rest and hygiene are the first habits we acquire from a young age, and we believe that, through our content, experiences, characters and stories, we can collaborate in identifying them and then adopting them. Support for organizations that achieve positively impact children and young people through food and Sport is part of making healthy life a proposal more accessible to all childhood”.

Belén Urbaneja, Director of Social Responsibility Corporate, Brand Management and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, The Walt Disney Company Latin America.

‘We are honored to be expanding our partnership with Disney in Latin America. Their commitment to healthy living aligns perfectly with our mission to use play to address the Sustainable Development Goals. As a result of Disney’s invaluable support we will be able to educate thousands of children in 8 communities about the importance of eating healthily, participating in physical activity, and maintaining mental health. As we live through a global pandemic the urgent need for programs such as ‘Play for Health’ only becomes more apparent.’

Nick Gates, Coaches Across Continents Founder ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS: About #ViveMásSaludable Disney’s commitment to fostering healthier generations takes life under its #ViveMásSaludable initiative, which is expressed in internal and external activities in Latin America: social investment, programs for employees, content, promotions and licenses, advertising business, events and experiences. Using the power of entertainment and guided by a comprehensive policy, the initiative offers creative, diverse and entertaining proposals to motivate and facilitate healthier lifestyles, with a special focus on childhood. Coaches Across Continents

Coaches Across Continents is an award-winning non-profit focused on education and community development. Its Purposeful Play curriculum and Education Outside the Classroom (EOC) methodology supports communities to design pathways towards social change based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. EOC empowers communities, organizations, leaders and young people to analyze their needs and implement strategies to choose their futures. CAC has trained and certified 25,000+ community coaches and leaders, and annually, provides quality education for over 16 million youth.

CONTACTS:

Coaches Across Continents – Adam Burgess, adam@coachesacrosscontinents.org

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