Just Move It

Promoting physical activity for Indigenous People

Just Move It (JMI) is a North American campaign leading the path to promote physical activity for Indigenous People. JMI successfully engages communities toward an ambitious goal: to get 1 million Indigenous People moving.

  • Preventable chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, are hitting Indigenous populations at staggering rates. By expanding physical activity as part of a community lifestyle, a foundation of wellness can be built to fight this trend.
  • Many Indigenous communities are already taking steps to promote physical activity. JMI aims to strengthen these efforts by sharing what is working and building networks of Indigenous communities and programs.

The Just Move It Initiative (JMI) originated on the Navajo Nation in 1993 and expanded in 2005 to include American Indian and Alaskan Native Communities across the United States to help showcase the many local promising practices happening in the promotion of physical activity.

Success of JMI was noticed in Canada and dialogue was initiated with a common goal of expanding the reach of JMI to benefit First Nations and Inuit communities. The new Statement of Partnership was signed on November 26, 2013 between the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association (NADA), Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), and Healthy Native Communities Partnership (HNCP).

Get Involved!

Benefits:

  • Access to a variety of culturally appropriate physical activity tools and resources
  • Free promotion of your physical activity events
  • Connection with a growing network of Indigenous communities across Canada and the United States
  • Qualitative and Quantitative evaluation. Progress tracking: identify what works and what doesn’t
  • Program/activity reporting – unique website feature that allows you to print updates of your events -Satisfies work plan reporting requirements

You can download the JMI Toolkit to help plan and promote your community event!

Sign up today and share what kind of  physical activities or recreation programs your community is practising. Sign up at www.justmoveit.org 

To watch JMI related videos developed by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Community Wellness Program and the University of Alberta School of Public Health Click Here.

Get Involved

The proceeds from the membership fees and donations go towards funding activities and projects.