Physical Activity Mentorship Program
What is the Physical Activity Mentorship Program?
If you are interested in improving your mental and physical health or would like to move more and learn how to stay active, this 8-week interactive program is for you. This program includes a variety of educational topics and private group physical activity sessions to experience a variety of Recreation programs and facilities. A physical activity mentor will lead group sessions and will individually check in with each participant weekly to guide them through their physical activity journey.
Important Details
Program Structure:
One g
roup education or physical activity session each week. Independent physical activity outside of the group sessions is required.
Dates:
Program begins the week of February 1-4, 2021
Registration Deadline:
January 28, 2022
Location:
Virtual or In Person options available
Who can participate?
This program is designed for those who would like to improve their physical and mental health by increasing their adherence to physical activity or those who are new to physical activity.
Cost:
FREE
Referral Options:
Book an appointment with one of the following to be referred into the program: Health and Wellness, Disability Resource Centre, through Residence Life Managers in Residence, or through Recreation’s Physical Activity Coaching. Other units are welcome to refer.
Contact crystal.westgate@ubc.ca if you have questions about the program or need assistance getting a referral.
What to expect:
Educational Sessions
Throughout the 8-week program, mentors will host 3 different educational sessions that may cover the following topics:
- Goal setting and overcoming physical activity barriers
- Action planning for physical activity
- Physical activity maintenance
Physical Activity sessions:
Private group activity sessions will vary depending on the individual preferences of group members. Session types may include:
- Group fitness classes (Yoga, HIIT, Spin, Pilates, etc)
- Hangar fitness centre sessions
- UBCycles bike rentals
- Walking on campus trails
Participant Feedback
“My mentor was hugely supportive and helpful when it came to setting realistic goals for myself, even when I suddenly got a job in the middle of the program and we had to alter my goals to fit my new schedule. She always encouraged me to do what felt right for my body and to be kind to myself.”
“We were able to talk about barriers of exercise and the mentor raised good discussions to et everyone thinking about how we can be more motivated to exercise in the future when the program ends.”
“Having a mentor was like a friend supporting me and encouraging me to go and be active.”
“I learned a lot about campus and ways to exercise around Kelowna.”
“It pushed me to go to the gym and do more work during the activity session since a mentor was holding me accountable.”
Program Evaluation
Overall, participants strongly agreed that their exercise knowledge increased and that their exercise knowledge was above average by the end of the program.
A notable strength for the peer to peer relationship was that mentors held mentees accountable to stay active throughout the program.
| Pre-Program | Post-Program | |
| How confident are you that you will be able to achieve your exercise goals moving forward | 1.5 | 4.8 |
| I feel that I can confidently exercise on my own | 3 | 4.5 |
Physical Activity Barriers Mean scores are based on a 5-point Likert scale where 5= extremely confident, 1=not confident at all.