Reinforcing leisure activities in Breiðholt

The Breiðholt Service Centre will be leading the programme, according to Óskar Dýrmundur Ólafsson, director.  Two senior programme managers, Þráinn Hafsteinsson and Nichole Leigh Mosty will be managing the project in consultation with the residents, as well as pre-schools and primary schools, after-school centres, and sports- and leisure clubs in the neighbourhood.

The project has three main goals: to increase sports and leisure club participation of children in Breiðholt; to increase the utilization of the city’s leisure card so that children in Breiðholt use it to the same extent as in other districts of Reykjavík and to facilitate social inclusion and encourage the use of Icelandic amongst children with diverse backgrounds.

The city strives to promote public health in all districts of the city but in Breiðholt, which hosts a large population of people of foreign origin, efforts are made to reach out to those groups specifically.  According to Óskar Dýrmundur, migration between countries is now a new reality and it is vital to meet the needs of all the people who live in the community.

"The community in Breiðholt bears a clear sign of this new social norm, and we want people from all over the world to feel welcome in the neighbourhood.  At the same time we want to make it easier for them to be active participants in our diverse community," says Óskar Dýrmundur.  He adds that through the project they aim to reach out to new residents in Breiðholt, especially children and teenagers who do not participate in organized sports and leisure activities offered in the neighbourhood.

Þráinn and Nichole, who lead the project in Breiðholt, say the promotion campaign aims to encourage all residents of Breiðholt, young and old, to adopt a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, eating healthy food and, last but not least, by taking care of their mental health.

The project aims to mobilize as many children and young people as possible to participate in sports and leisure activities, and with the support of their parents.  By taking part in organized leisure activities, the children also become part of the community as a whole.  They can strengthen their Icelandic skills and get to know other children of different backgrounds, and thus the children become part of a larger and more diverse group of friends and develop larger social networks.

Looking for ambassadors

Þráinn and Nichole say that their goal is to build a solid relationship with different groups of people in the neighbourhood.  They want to develop a network of interested people or ambassadors who can serve as contact-persons for a certain group of people of similar origin and language area.  The ambassadors would then disseminate information to these different groups, such as all the different sports and leisure activities available to children in Breiðholt, and how to utilize the leisure card.  This could also apply to other services on offer, and present opportunities to people to make their lives easier within the neighbourhood.

"We would also like the ambassadors to share advice and suggestions from their own community groups on how we, who work in the Breiðholt Service Centre, can make the community better for all its residents, regardless of background," says Nichole.

Those who are interested in becoming ambassadors can contact the staff of Breiðholt Service Centre, who welcome all ideas and suggestions from residents, and are happy to provide further information.

Finally, Nichole, Óskar Dýrmundur and Þráinn encourage all to take part in the project Leisure activities in Breiðholt.  They urge parents, guardians, friends and relatives to encourage their children to participate in sports and leisure activities in Breiðholt so that we can all join hands in building up a constructive and active society for all.