UpStanding Kids
Welcome to: UpStanding Kids
Standing Up For Our Children’s Health!
Thank you for taking the time to place UpStanding Kids on your radar! I bring it to you with pride, passion and purpose, and believe that is something we as a community should naturally stand behind.
I have begun a not for profit organization that will become a charitable entity devoted to getting standing desks into the schools of Australia. I do this on the back of the declining health of our children, and the aptly titled “sitting epidemic”. This is certainly an “on trend” topic in the corporate adult world, however virtually no attention has gone to the young.
Philosophically the greater good can definitely be done with our youth. This will include defining and effecting policy, as well as funding within education, which can lead to a healthier individual. Longer term, our leverage will come off the fact that these healthier individuals will burden the health care system less as they grow older.
Any awareness we can create in the community will be on the back of the evidence-based research of the last 5 years, some of which can be accessed through the link below.
http://www.upstandingkids.org/#!research-and-articles/cpvw
Key stakeholders in research have been approached and approve of our involvement. We will be helping them to access possible partnership grants to look at the next stage of research, which will be geared towards proving that improved cognitive performance comes with standing at school.
We will be facilitating different funding models to support schools, which include:
- Partnering with ProjectEd, (www.projected.org.au) a charitable crowdfunding website for the local communities to get behind their schools.
- Seeking donations from corporate Australia in any companies interested in kids health.
- Seeking grants from government and private foundations.
If successful in generating funds, we would target poorer socioeconomic groups, where they are less likely to generate cashflow from their own community.
With a “soft” launch in the last 3 months we have generated enormous interest, and have 3 schools with in principle agreements that are looking for standing desks to enter in at least one class, and possibly more. When we have these classes in action and governance complete, we will approach media outlets, looking to open this topic up for discussion in the wider Australian population.
I would dearly love the backing of the incredible patient base we have developed over the last 15 years in Heidelberg, Blackburn & beyond.
This could range from:
- Promotion via liking and then sharing our facebook page to your friends.
(Click here to see our Facebook page)
- Sharing with people with influence in education, politics or healthcare.
- Any links with possibility for potential donations from grants, foundations or corporate entities.
- Volunteers who have any experience in above who would like to come forward and help.
Please note UpStanding Kids has no affiliation or financial interests in any desks we show. We will assist and facilitate purchase of desks where we can help with each distributor with any proceeds going back into the fundraising for our not for profit. All people involved are volunteers and receive no financial benefit or remuneration from UpStanding Kids.
As an osteopath of 20 years, I still love and enjoy the contribution I make to people. I have always enjoyed the various aspects of the profession that I have tried to contribute to. Now I feel absolutely compelled to reach a broader audience and instigate something so simple and with such natural compliance that it has to succeed, for the physical and mental wellbeing of our children.
Please read attached for example of articles being written for different blogs and magazines.
Links of interest also attached.
Yours Sincerely,
Peter Parker
Link of interest:
Our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg0vjxo57bEJz6PLfyXxa1A
Article from ‘Your Child’ magazine, to be published in near future:
How much time do your think our kids spend sitting? Research suggests 80-90% of their day! Combine that with the fact that sitting has negative impact upon their health physically and mentally and you start to get a feel of why kids are growing up with poorer vitality and wellbeing.
Obesity, autism, orthopedic issues, poor breathing, fatigue, poor concentration…. All pertinent to the argument as to why we need to modify or change the amount of time a child sits. The research of the last 5 years clearly suggests the negative impact of sitting on anyone.
In the corporate arena standing desks are becoming more common. Why not for our kids? Philosophically the benefit of trying to do this in childhood makes for a stronger healthier human that may not impact on the health care services with chronic medical issues in the years ahead. Authors have named it the “sitting epidemic” and its health implications greater than those associated with “smoking”.
We just assume sitting is normal but as a primal animal it is only the last 200 years through an industrial revolution that our reliance on modern furnishings reflecting the need to sit has evolved. Combine that with ever increasing need to have screen time across multiple platforms and the child of today loves to slump and spend time in the “banana back” posture.
We have to get standing desks into schools ASAP. Kinder and foundation (prep) students should be afforded the opportunity to keep their primal movements in standing, squatting and floor play without any sitting. They will not miss sitting as in fact it may stifle their development physically and mentally.
Even with periods of intense exercise they are not undoing the negative impact of sitting. As an Osteopath of 20 years I see this clearly defined pattern everyday and it really frustrates me. How can I and we make a broader impact? How can we make kids who traditionally have poor compliance to advice do better?
Simple….we make them stand at school.
Research shows they would rather stand. Teachers report the positive impact in cognitive function (research is leaning this way but studies not yet done to prove). Boys love to fidget; it can actually increase or facilitate their ability to learn.
“UpStanding Kids” is here. As a non-profit organization I will be doing my very best to create awareness and impart change into the classrooms of Australia. We will be helping schools to get their children standing and in the process healthier.
I feel passionate and compelled to create a halt to the epidemic of sitting and a more mobile engaged young person.
As a new organization we need help and expertise in all areas. As teachers, educators and concerned parents please come forward, I am ready and willing to engage with your school council or parents & friends group. We will be fundraising in different ways to assist schools afford the furniture required. Please take the time to look over our website. Please like and share our facebook page so the word spreads. The interest and enthusiasm so far has been fantastic. It makes me very excited to think that something so natural and easily compliant could have such a massive impact on our kids.
UpStanding kids is ready and willing to fulfill the demand associated with what could be a far reaching wide reform for children’s health. It is simply the easiest way to improve all facets of their health.
You can find us on Facebook by clicking here,
Or visit our website www.upstandingkids.org
