Byrne launches nationwide Olympic programme at Rathregan NS
Minister for Sport Thomas Byrne formally launched the nationwide Olympic Movement Breaks programme at Rathregan National School in Batterstown yesterday, with the Olympic Federation of Ireland and Active School Flag Programme.
The initiative will see the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s ‘Dare to Believe’ programme working alongside the Active School Flag Programme in creating exciting opportunities for primary school pupils to be more physically active.
Minister Byrne joined Irish Olympians, swimmer, Ellen Walshe and Rugby Sevens Captain, Harry McNulty, and the students and staff of Rathregan NS to launch Olympic Movement Breaks.
Minister Byrne said: “I am delighted to officially launch the nationwide Olympic Movement Breaks programme with the Olympic Federation of Ireland here in Batterstown, County Meath.
"It is great to see the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s Dare to Believe Programme and the Active School Flag Programme working together to address the challenges of decreasing levels of physical activity among our youth. It shows what can be done when Government and agencies work together for a common goal."
He said the Olympic Movement Breaks have been developed to encourage primary schools to get involved in the Active Break Every Day Challenge, held annually by the Active School Flag Programme.
"I am determined to see more schools, more active, more often and the Olympic Movement Breaks will certainly support schools in this ambition in a fun and inclusive way.
"Building movement opportunities, such as these, in to the school day creates positive impacts for our primary school pupil’s physical health and mental wellbeing, it also brings benefits to the teaching and learning processes. I would encourage all schools in Meath and around the country to take part in this initiative and I look forward to hearing about school experiences in this fun and exciting challenge.”
The Olympic Movement Breaks are an easy-to-use format, with a series of short videos led by Olympians and High-Performance athletes demonstrating fun exercises and activities that can be done by students of all abilities. The short videos, across a variety of different sports including athletics, boxing, rugby sevens, swimming, breakdancing, and para powerlifting, will help generate classroom-based movement opportunities.
With a shared goal of highlighting the many fun benefits of being more active, Dare to Believe and the Active School Flag Programme are using the Olympic Movement Breaks to encourage schools to take part in a four-week ‘Active Break Every Day’ challenge. Twelve athletes lead easy and fun exercises that range between three to five minutes and require no additional resources.
Regular movement for children brings many benefits to the teaching and learning process, and following these high-performance athletes is a great way for young people to see some of the athletes who will represent Ireland in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games next summer.
Teachers will have access to a challenge chart where they can check off videos that their class completes each day during the four-week challenge, which runs from Monday, 13th of November through to Friday, 8th of December.
Additional resources will be available alongside the videos where children can learn more about the athletes featured in the videos, by reading their biographiess and information on their respective Olympic sport. They also will learn about Olympic history and values and have the option of participating in a fun Olympic quiz at the end of each week.
The ‘Dare to Believe’ programme is supported by PTSB, the official sponsor of Team Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Olympic Movement Breaks were created by the Dare to Believe co-founders Roisin Jones and Roisin McGettigan-Dumas with input from the Olympic athletes who participated in the programme, and with input from several teacher consultants.