Program gets techno-generation moving
GoKids receives national praise
A gaggle of elementary school girls stomped on pads that lit up to the beat of a dance-remix version of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor. In another room, two girls rode stationary bikes, while the LCD screens before them showed the pair racing each other along city streets. All over, children worked up a sweat playing video games.
At the University of Massachusetts yesterday, participants in GoKids Boston got a workout using the latest gaming technology.
"We're in a technology-driven society, so we try to find a way for technology to meet exercise," said program coordinator Brianna Forde.
The afterschool and summer program, which has helped more than 200 youths in its inaugural year, received national attention yesterday when the acting US surgeon general, Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, came to give the group a Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future Champion award.
Galson said GoKids - which offers classes in such topics as hip-hop dance, healthy cooking, and aqua aerobics - does an excellent job of encouraging members to get and stay fit. And he praised the city for fostering such innovative programs.
"You have an amazing collaboration in this city," Galson said, "a focus among the academic institutions, the government, the philanthropic community," and citizens who realize the future of the region lies in healthy youths.
Nationwide, about 12.5 million children, or 17 percent of those under age 18, are overweight. Galson is currently on tour, recognizing various programs working to combat childhood obesity, and he recently launched a website offering tips for parents, community leaders, and teachers.
At GoKids Boston, the dues for most of the low-income, at-risk, 7- to 18-year-old members are subsidized.
The program is supported by Children's Hospital Boston, the Boston public schools, the Boston Private Industry Council, and local community health centers. It also offers leadership training for high school freshmen.
"It's fun to see little kids coming to this program and being active, instead of being out in the streets acting wild," said trainee Julor Harrold, 17.
