Liepaja launches free outdoor exercise classes for local children

The Latvian city wants to help local youth become healthy and active after months of staying at home

After months of lockdown, it should be no surprise that children are among those who are most eager to once again venture outside and into nature. The Latvian city of Liepaja aims to capitalize on that inherent urge of young people to go outside and has launched a new initiative aimed at helping them become healthier (both in a physical, as well as in an emotional sense) and more active.

Summertime activities

The first classes organised by the municipality of Liepaja will be held on 6 July at the Liepaja Rainis 6^th Secondary School’s sports field, at 12:30 PM. They can be attended by all children in the city aged between 8 and 14 and will be held three times a week, each week, until the end of August.

The activities will be attended by PE experts from the local sports club “CF Liepaja” and will be led by its fitness coaches Gundars Lauva, Dace Dieviņa and Alena Eldmane. They will handle the lessons aimed at promoting and improving all aspects of a child’s physical wellbeing.

In these post-lockdown times, however, some additional measures have had to be taken by local authorities. The most important of them is that in order to prevent excessive crowding, the number of spots per class is limited and prior registration is required. That can be accomplished by sending an SMS to the number 29 153 552 with the child's name and surname.

By organising such activities, the local government of Liepaja is not only working to the benefit of its local youth but also in favour of local parents, who undoubtedly would enjoy a little peace and quiet after months of being stuck at home, alone, with their kids.