Stars 5+ a day schools club a resounding success

The Go Media Stars have completed a highly successful season of their 5+ A Day Schools Club in partnership with the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust.

The 5+ A Day Schools Club gave schools the opportunity to have Stars players visit their schools to run a fun fitness/training session while teaching children the importance of healthy eating through fruit and vegetables.

The initiative saw the Stars reach more than 500 children from years 5-13 across the South Auckland region.

Stars defenders Remi Kamo and Kate Burley helped create the programmes that were rolled out to the schools during the sessions.

Kamo says it was a really cool experience for her to be a part of.

“I created the programme for the older children, with the intention of making it accessible for people who didn’t know netball and giving them the basic foundational skills and incorporating a competitive aspect which always makes kids keen to know and do more.” Kamo said.

“Every session I went to the kids absolutely loved it, even those who had never played netball before or knew the rules and those who did enjoyed themselves. It was one of my favourite things I’ve done since being with the Stars.”

Children were encouraged to get their thinking caps on as they learned about the connection between being active and eating healthy.

“Because it was 5+ A Day I tried to make it into a bit of a competition. I would get everyone to find a partner and pick a fruit or vegetable that they would represent for the session. We’d then have a tally on a whiteboard, so every time someone did well in that pair, they’d get a point and at the end of the session there’d be an overall winner and either fruits or vegetables would take out the day.” Kamo explained.

“I think the kids enjoyed trying their best and being observed and learning new skills. We’d do things like passing relays and would slowly teach them how to run onto the ball and catch it while not stepping and make that into a competition and it was a stepped approach into bigger games.”

“It is really important that everyone is getting as many nutrients as possible, so it was nice to open up that conversation with them and also have the opportunity to be active outside for a couple of hours.” Kamo added.
Kamo hopes the children will be motivated to stay active and make the right choices when it comes to fruit and vegetables.

“Afterwards we’d hold a Q&A session and sign some posters and they always had such insightful questions like what’s it like to be an athlete, what do you eat, how often do you train. It was also really cool to see a number of the children at our games and signing sessions which was great and it’s nice they felt inspired to come and watch some netball as well.”
 
5+ A Day Project Manager Stephanie Wrathall believes the sessions have been hugely positive.

“The Stars involvement in the Schools Club has not only brought energy and inspiration to students but has also helped reinforce 5+ A Day key messages around healthy eating. Wrathall said.

“The players are great role models – showing our tamariki that eating fruit and vegetables fuels both performance on the court and wellbeing in everyday life. Their presence has made a real difference in promoting healthy habits in a fun and engaging way.”

A number of school representatives were grateful for what the sessions allowed their children to learn.

"Our students were so excited, the two players were so happy, friendly and our kids really looked up to them. Great programme and we are so thankful for the opportunity." Stacey Cole, Beachlands School

"Maia and Lisa were fantastic! All our students were buzzing and loved it. They made it fun and spent time signing and having photos." Olivia Young, Mission Heights Junior College

"We loved having Lili and Samon work with our girls! Our girls really enjoyed the defensive skills they learnt." Julia Adams, Bucklands Beach Intermediate

"Can we please have more of these sessions. The girls that came over were absolutely fabulous!" Mohammed Hussein, Al-Madinah School