|
Activmobs are small groups of people who carry out
physical activity together on a regular basis.They choose the
activity and the system supports them to continue with that
activity.
 Kent County Council joined forces with the
Design Council to explore new ways for housing estate
residents to get active. The aim was to develop services that
could be instigated by local people themselves, rather than by
the local authority.
A steering committee that included residents held stakeholder
workshops with a community support officer, youth club leaders and
others. Residents were asked to map out their day as a timeline,
using flashcards of activities. One insight was that for many
residents there were barriers to activity, and inspiration needed
to be drawn from those who successfully integrated activity into
their everyday lives.
The solution was Activmobs, a radical new type of service to
support self-organised groups of people with a shared interest. In
the pilot, residents created three 'mobs': for people who walked
their dogs and wanted to lose weight; for individuals with back
problems; and for people interested in guided walks. Tools for
quantitative and qualitative feedback were used to record
benefits.There are now more than 20 mobs.
Activmobs enable people to carry out the activities that suit
them rather than making assumptions about what they will want to
do.They build on the idea that activity is most effective when
driven and sustained by individual motivations and when it is
placed within the context of people's everyday lives rather than in
a formal and sometimes off-putting setting, like a gym.
There were tangible, measurable improvements in personal
wellbeing, such as improved sleep and greater physical flexibility.
These findings helped the local authority to better understand new
ways of tackling changing health issues and lifestyles. Activmobs
increase opportunities for physical activity which is proven to
have significant health benefits, resulting in long-term savings to
health and social care. |