ABCD Any Body Can Dance – What is it and why Brent?
This dance Initiative is primarily about getting as many children as possible within Brent schools at Key Stage 1 - 5, moving and keeping active through Latin and African dance during school hours or as an after-school activity.
ABCD Any Body Can Dance – What are the benefits?
Dancing maintains and improves our quality of life more than any other human activity:
physical fitness - whole body
mind/body coordination
social engagement and cooperation
memory, and whole brain exercise
accessibility and diversity
self-expression and artistic/creative outlet
mental health
Can you think of any physical activity that offers as many benefits for human existence as dancing.
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ABCD Any Body Can Dance – What happening in Brent?
Brent has some of the highest childhood obesity rates in London. Some 41.7 per cent of children in Year 6 were recorded as overweight or obese in 2018/19. Ethnicity data shows that children with the highest rates of excess weight in the diverse borough are from black Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. (Local Government Association).
Brent has a higher prevalence of obese school children leaving primary school at 26% compared to the London and England average. In Brent, 1 in 3 children are obese by the time they leave primary school. By 2034, it is estimated that 70% of adults will be overweight or obese. (Joint Strategic Needs Assessment).
In Brent, deprivation does not have a strong correlation to childhood obesity. However, there is a link between obesity and deprivation across ethnicities and schools in the borough.
In Brent, children of Black ethnicity are most likely to be overweight or obese. Children of Asian ethnicity show the highest increase of excess weight between Reception and Year 6.
The World Health Organization (WHO) regards childhood obesity as one of the most serious global public health challenges for the 21st century and ending childhood obesity is one of the most complex health challenges facing the international community during this century.
Over a fifth (22%) of children are overweight or obese when they begin school, and this figure increases to over a third (37%) by the time they leave primary school. Key factors that impact childhood obesity are Age, Deprivation, Ethnicity.
ABCD Any Body Can Dance – How can you help us?
We are looking for individuals, strategic partners, schools, sports centres, sponsors, and funders that will support us through "In-kind" services or financially through funding streams, to raise the awareness on how dance can help address our daily physical, mental, emotional, social and academical challenges around obesity, social isolation, loneliness, bully, and overall wellbeing.
With your support this will help us provide comprehensive dance programmes and well-being dance activities that target priority areas and communities within the borough.
For the project to be meaningful and deliver true outcomes we want to collaborate with schools, organisations, charities, and community groups that are innovative and actively seeking new ways of getting their children and young people more active and moving through the benefits of dance therapy.
Please find below a link to our ABCD - Any Body Can Dance Flip Book which gives you more of an overview on the Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social & Academical benefits of Dance.
If you would like to discuss this initiative further or if you know someone or an organisation this would benefit, please contact Carlton Thomas or MIguel Gonzalez on 07904 082080 or via the Contacts Page. Thanks