It’s ready! (
www.mihealthtools.org/communities)
It’s due 8/25/06!
Michigan’s Promoting Active Communities (PAC) Award application (the on-line self-assessment with a reward) is new and improved, and has been launched. Don’t miss this opportunity for your community to be recognized for the good work being done. The PAC is like no other in the country because it helps increase awareness about the types of public policies, environments, and programs that remove barriers to residents being physically active.
It’s new!The core grant team has made significant improvements to the PAC, reorganizing and adding sections to reflect current science-based knowledge. The team includes:
Michigan Department of Community Health
Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports
Prevention Research Center of Michigan
Michigan State University
Improvements to the PAC were made possible by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The research leading to these improvements included:
- An extensive literature review of current research related to physical activity and community design.
- Focus groups with previous PAC participants.
- A review of other community design evaluation tools.
- Input from state and national experts.
- Continued studies of the process and effectiveness of the new version.
It’s beneficial!Communities who incorporate active living design characteristics achieve many benefits:
- Recognition: Communities will receive one of five award levels at the Designing Healthy Liveable Communities Conference on November 13, 2006.
- Planning: Personalized community reports describe areas of strength and potential for improvements, assist in community planning processes.
- Partnerships: Local leaders develop new partnerships as a result of working together to complete the assessment.
- Awareness: Media announcements increase awareness among community residents about the community’s vision and assets related to active living.
- Marketing: Communities use their award as another mechanism for promoting their communities
.
Design Guidelines for Active Michigan Communities A new companion guide has also been developed to accompany the PAC Award. The Design Guidelines for Active Michigan Communities is available on the PAC website.
Don’t forget to register your community now to complete the Promoting Active Communities assessment. For more information contact: Risa Wilkerson at 517/347-7891 or e-mail:
rwilkerson@michiganfitness.org
