TAFE Students highlight benefits of physical activity
Tuesday 30th October 2007
Belly dancing, salsa dancing and boxing demonstrations were one of the many action highlights experienced by students when the TAFE NSW-North Coast Institute’s Taree Campus put on a Sport and Leisure Expo recently.
The expo featured displays and demonstrations by 15 different sporting and leisure organizations from throughout the Manning Valley. It was hosted by the TAFENSW Student Association and students from the Certificate of General and Vocational Education course and Teacher’s Aide Special course part of their learning and services to the student community.
TAFE Student Association Officer, Sue Dunlop, said that the resoundingly successful event, he was not just fun and entertaining, but was designed to send a serious message about TAFE students needing to get more active in their leisure time.
Ms Dunlop referred to a statewide Student Association report, commissioned last year, called ‘TAFE Active’, which found that some 45% of TAFE students across the state got less than the recommended minimum of 3.5 hours of physical activity in an average week.
Ms Dunlop said that the report observed that so few students reached desirable levels of physical activity that there were concerns about students’ health, well-being and learning capabilities.
“The most disturbing statewide trend was in the 16-20 year age group where physical activity levels were worse than the average,” said Ms Dunlop.
The students involved in hosting the event reported to their teachers Catherine Calvin (CGVE Civics class) and Sharyn Cook (Teacher’s Aide Special course) that they gained a lot of useful skills from the event. As well as completing course work, students learnt teamwork and event management skills, and, importantly, liaising confidently with members of the TAFE and outside community.
