Promoting Well Being

The Southern Trust is the first health trust in Northern Ireland to offer an OCN Level 2 qualification in Street Dance for local youth workers and physical activity leaders.

The BReaK iT DoWN programme has been developed by the Southern Trust Promoting Wellbeing Team in association with Maiden Voyage Dance Company in recognition of the positive role dance can play in increasing the levels of physical activity of young people in a fun and creative way.

A total of 15 participants from a range of youth settings across the Southern area have completed the programme.

The programme has been designed to introduce leaders to street dance skills, techniques and methods.  On completion of the course the leaders are will be equipped with the skills and confidence to facilitate an 8 week programme of introduction to street dance within their own youth groups and club settings. 

On the BReaK iT DoWN course the new leaders learned how to warm-up and cool down safely, introduce street dance movements; develop sequences and how to structure the street dance workshops to suit the needs of their group.

Sabrina Lynn, Physical Activity Coordinator SHSCT said: “It is recommended that children and young people should participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day and recent research shows that many young people have difficultly achieving this. It is essential to promote lifelong participation in an active lifestyle for overall health and wellbeing as well as preventing obesity. BreakiTDoWN is a brand new course which has been developed specifically to create opportunities for young people to be engaged in activity through dance and to skill up leaders to confidently and creatively facilitate dance sessions within their own clubs therefore bringing street dance directly to young people.” 

Sabrina continues: “The easiest way to increase your daily levels of activity is to find an activity you can enjoy and easily fit into everyday life – dance is a perfect activity something you can do with friends or at home on your own.  Our bodies are designed for movement and dance is a fantastic way to encourage active lifestyles, improve our health, make friends and have fun.”