The Stamford Standup For Youth 5K is a 3.1 mile run and 2 mile walk to raise awareness, promote advocacy, and take action to improve the well-being of the children throughout our communities.

Awareness

• Did you know that almost 50% of all high school students in the Stamford school system are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch?
• Or that 1 in 3 children in the state of Connecticut are unsupervised and spend time on their own after school?
• Did you know that today’s youth are considered the most inactive generation in history?
• Or that 1 in 4 Connecticut high school students are considered overweight or obese?

Childhood provides a unique opportunity for physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. It sets the foundation for lifelong health, learning, and overall well-being.

It is the time where important life skills such as: self-discipline, work ethic, decision making, peer interactions, conflict negotiation, and healthy lifestyle choices are learned.

The effects of poverty, inactivity,  and obesity on the overall health and well-being of our children is well documented. These children are much more likely to suffer from chronic illness, lack of appropriate emotional and social development, and other issues that prevent them from reaching their full potential as adults.

Advocacy

We strongly believe every child deserves a safe place to spend their out of school time. Don’t you? Afterschool programs play a vital and important role in ensuring the youth in our community have access to a variety of opportunities that will enhance all aspects of their development during their out-of-school time. Several studies have shown that children who participate in afterschool programs have been positively impacted in a variety of ways:

• improved academic performance
• decreased juvenile crime rates
• improved conflict resolution skills
• improved self confidence
• increased participation in physical activities
• improved healthy lifestyle choices.

There are many issues that impact a child’s ability to participate in an afterschool program. Lack of financial resources can be a key determinant especially for youth who reside in low income households.

We wish to level the playing field for our most vulnerable and at-risk youth by ensuring they have access to quality afterschool programs that will play an integral role in ensuring their ability to become active and productive adults.

Action

The Stamford Stand Up For Youth 5K is all about taking action! It signifies an important opportunity for community leaders, social service organizations, parents, caring adults, and youth themselves to take a stand for improving our shared community.

By running and/or walking on Saturday, October 22th, 2016 we are showing the youth that we care about their future and wish to create an environment where they have many opportunities to succeed.

We at RF Youth Boxing are standing up for Stamford’s youth…join the movement!

Learn more

Find out more about the RF Youth Boxing program.

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