Hundreds of Students Attend Hype Event

Hundreds of students from schools in Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Catherine and St. Thomas converged at the University of Technology (UTech) for Friday’s (March 17) Health Youth Positive Energy (HYPE) School Tour finale.

The event, organised by the Ministry of Health, was a joint initiative undertaken with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, to promote healthy lifestyles in schools.

It featured a wide range of activities focusing on four main areas or HYPE zones. These included physical activity, healthy eating, saying no to drugs and caring for the environment.

Among the activities were dance contests, dancercises, hula-hooping, football and bounce-abouts.

These were coordinated by several stakeholder partners, including members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Media personalities Jennifer ‘Jenni-Jenni’ Small and Christopher ‘Johnny’ Daley, who served as MCs, brought added flair and excitement to the day’s proceedings.

Similar activities were organised on the previous three tours, which were held for schools in the north-eastern, southern and western regions of the island.

Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, who was in attendance, endorsed the event, while encouraging the youngsters to engage in healthy lifestyles.

“While I am very happy to see you are having a lot of fun… remember why you are here. It’s about encouraging you to engage in physical activities that will ensure you enjoy healthier and longer lives,” he said.