Instead Of More Screen Time, How About A Summer Bucket List?
,By Xain Ballenger, TheStatehouseFile.com
The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis began its Summer Bucket List Challenge on June 19. People who accomplish 20 or more activities become eligible to win a grand prize of $2,000.
Tony Wise, the Y’s associate vice president of public relations and marketing communications, said the objective of the challenge is to get people away from their screens—especially kids. Â
Recent data shows 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds are spending six hours on a screen every day—and as any parent of a teen can tell you, that number only goes up as kids get older.
Wise said the challenge ends July 16 and is free and open to all community members.Â
“It’s just one of those things that we’re doing just to bring conscious brain health and wellness at the forefront of people’s minds—just keep it in front of them to make sure they’re being active and they’re doing things with their families,†Wise said.
Wise gave some examples of what kinds of activities are included on the list, things like having a picnic, playing a trivia game, reading a book, going for a walk with your friends or volunteering at a nonprofit organization.Â
Wise said the point is to get outside, get fresh air and be active.
“We want everyone in our community to have a screen-free summer,†said Anne Dishman, vice president of programs.
This isn’t the first challenge of its kind. Wise said in the beginning of the year, the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis had a Reset Challenge that tried to get people back into the groove of taking care of their health and wellness.Â
Last year, the Summer Bucket List Challenge featured 40 activities to choose from. If a person wanted the chance to win the grand prize, they had to complete 10 activities.Â
This year there are 50 activities and a person must complete 20 tasks before having the chance to win the prize.
Those interested can join by texting SUMMER to 844-889-6222, or they can go to the website for additional information.
