Green Island Primary Launches Jamaica Moves Club

Green Island Primary School in Hanover has launched its Jamaica Moves Club, aimed at promoting physical activity and proper nutrition among students.

The launch took place on Friday (April 5) during the celebration of the inaugural ‘National School Moves Day’ at the institution.

Health Promotions and Education Officer at the Hanover Health Department, Andrene Smith-Benjamin, who was at the school for the day’s activities, told JIS News that as one of the 100 pilot institutions under the Ministry of Health’s ‘Jamaica Moves’ initiative, Green Island Primary is required to form a club.

She noted that six students and two teachers have been trained as ‘Jamaica Moves’ ambassadors and have been mandated to help transform the school environment into a healthy setting by promoting better lifestyle practices.

She said that, already, the club has up to 20 members, having merged with the school’s sports club.

The Ministries of Health; and Education, Youth and Information collaborated to stage National School Moves Day under the theme ‘Love Yuh Body…Treat Yuh Body Right’.

Celebrated in institutions involved in the ‘Jamaica Moves in Schools’ pilot programme, the day sought to promote the important role of physical activity among students and the impact on health.

At Green Island Primary, students and staff were engaged in various activities, such as dancing and a hula-hoop competition.

“The students were active. Even if they were not doing exactly what the activity was, they were just moving and constantly energised,” Mrs. Smith Benjamin told JIS News.

She noted that students were educated about the importance of adopting healthy lifestyle practices and making healthy choices from an early age.

“If you really look at the different lifestyle diseases that are affecting our country – diabetes, hypertension, obesity – these are all based on how we live our lives. We see that everybody knows somebody who has these diseases, and so it is necessary to curb it from an early age.

“In the past, you found that mainly older persons would have these diseases, but now even young children suffer from diabetes, and so the initiative is to start early to promote a healthy lifestyle,” Mrs. Smith Benjamin said.

The goal of National School Moves Day is to create a healthier environment within the school community, and is a direct response to addressing the risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD).