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ParticipACTION Community Challenge FAQs
Last updated: May 3, 2023
General
What is this Community Challenge?
The ParticipACTION Community Challenge is a national physical activity initiative that encourages everyone in Canada to get active throughout June in search of Canada’s Most Active Community.
It is open to everyone, and all minutes tracked on the app and website from June 1 – 30, 2023 count toward a community’s total score. After June 30, 50 finalist communities will be invited to submit an application explaining why they deserve to be Canada’s Most Active Community.
At the conclusion of the challenge, one community will earn the top prize of $100,000 and title of being Canada’s Most Active. In addition to the national winner, there will also be additional prizing for the most active community in each province and territory.
Which of my minutes from the app contribute to my community’s total? Which minutes from the Community Challenge website count?
The ParticipACTION Community Challenge is a national physical activity initiative that encourages everyone in Canada to get active throughout June in search of Canada’s Most Active Community.
It is open to everyone, and all minutes tracked on the app and website from June 1 – 30, 2023 count toward a community’s total score. After June 30, 50 finalist communities will be invited to submit an application explaining why they deserve to be Canada’s Most Active Community.
At the conclusion of the challenge, one community will earn the top prize of $100,000 and title of being Canada’s Most Active. In addition to the national winner, there will also be additional prizing for the most active community in each province and territory.
Can I contribute my minutes to another community?
The minutes you track on the ParticipACTION app or ParticipACTION website will go towards the competing community associated with the postal code in your profile. We encourage all participants to sign-up with the postal code of the community where they reside.
During which time period will my move minutes count toward my community’s total?
June 1 – 30, 2023. If you’re tracking on the Community Challenge webpage, please ensure all minutes have been tracked by 11:59 p.m. PST on June 30, 2023. Remember, you need to open the ParticipACTION app to sync and register your minutes.
Can I track minutes for my organization using the app?
You cannot track minutes in the app on behalf of a group or organization – this can only be done through the Community Challenge webpage.
How do I know if my activity is counting toward my community’s total? Does it need to be a certain intensity or length of time?
Great question! The goal of the Community Challenge is to get people living in Canada moving. As a result, we haven’t set parameters on how intense your activity needs to be. From walking to the grocery store to backyard spring cleaning, we want you to track it all! In terms of duration, every minute counts! The shortest duration of activity you can track is one minute, while the longest is 180 minutes.
Can I track more than one bout of physical activity for a given day?
Yes! There are no limitations on how many times you can track physical activity for a given day. Note that the most minutes one individual can track for one activity, however, is 180 minutes.
How old must I be to participate?
You have to be at least 17 years of age to create a ParticipACTION app profile and log minutes toward your community’s total in the Community Challenge. On the Community Challenge website, users must be 17 years of age to track their own minutes.
Parents and caregivers can track on behalf of their dependents, and group instructors, teachers and coaches can track for users under the age of 17 when tracking for a group or organization.
Tracking on the website
Why isn’t the Community Challenge webpage letting me add my activity in minutes and seconds?
Congrats on completing some well-earned move minutes! We accept tracked time in minutes only (between one and 180 minutes), but we encourage you to round up to the nearest minute.
When the challenge ends, can I still see my webpage dashboard with my move minute totals?
Yes, your dashboard will remain available for viewing for a couple weeks following the challenge. However, no new minutes can be added to the dashboard after June 30, 2023.
Will the Community Challenge webpage allow me to add all my family members so I can track on their behalf?
Yes, you may add up to 10 family members to your individual Community Challenge account. If you have more family members that want to participate, we recommend creating accounts for more than one adult and dividing the family members among those accounts.
What about my workplace or my soccer team? Can I track for them as well?
Yes, once you’re logged into your account you will be asked if you’re tracking for you and your family or on behalf of a group/organization. From there, we will ask for a few details about your group activity and then you’ll be able to submit minutes for the entire team.
My family members completed move minutes without me. Can I still track for them?
Yes, you can easily log activity that your family members completed by going to ‘track an activity’ as you usually would. Assign yourself zero minutes and indicate how many minutes each of your family members completed on the given date/time.
Should organizations encourage attendees to track activity on the ParticipACTION App?
Considering that the overall community score is a combination of both organization and individual tracked minutes, we strongly encourage organizations to tell their attendees about the ParticipACTION App. The App can be used as a motivational tool to promote and track healthy physical activity during the challenge and throughout the year. The more people using the ParticipACTION app, the closer we are to achieving our vision of a Canada where physical activity is a vital part of everyday life.
Individuals should refrain from double tracking their physical activity minutes from Community Challenge events if they know that their minutes are already being tracked by the organizers. ParticipACTION reserves the right to review & remove any minutes that are deemed to be duplicate minutes.
I have more questions about the app, where can I find help?
No problem, please see the mobile app-specific FAQs.
Postal Codes and Communities
How is my competing community determined?
Competing communities are largely made of individual municipalities and bands with a population of 1,000 people or more. Municipalities and bands with populations fewer than 1,000 people have been grouped with neighbouring communities to meet the population threshold. The boundaries for a competing community are determined by postal codes.
For example, the competing community of Deer Lake Newfoundland and Labrador has a population of 5,249. There are 327 postal codes connected to Deer Lake. Any individual or organization who puts in one of those 327 postal codes on the ParticipACTION App or website as part of their profile will be tracking activity that will go to Deer Lake’s overall score.
How can I see how my community is doing?
Starting June 1st, ParticipACTION App users will be able to follow their community’s progress within the App! Track your minutes and help your community move up the leaderboard. In addition, we will have a leaderboard on the Community Better Challenge website. The website leaderboard will allow you to see the top 20 communities per province and territory and the ParticipACTION app leaderboard will show you exactly where you place in your province or territory.
What if I feel like I don’t belong to the identified community? Is there a way to change where my minutes are being directed?
We understand that not everyone will necessarily associate themselves to the community that has been assigned to their postal code. In order to meet the community size criteria, we have done our best to define communities based on Canada Post Data files that outline how postal codes are defined across Canada. ParticipACTION welcomes feedback as we continue to improve our structure. Feel free to drop us a note and we would be happy to look into your suggestion for CBC 2023.
Do we need to formally register our community?
No, all municipalities are automatically participating in the Community Challenge based on their postal codes. Municipalities are encouraged to support the challenge by doing the following:
- Registering and tracking their programs, events and activities offered in June at com/Programs/Community Challenge;
- Encouraging local community organizations to host programs and events and track activities for their members;
- Encouraging local residents to download the app;
- Using ParticipACTION’s resources to help get your community active.
Crowning Canada’s Most Active Community
How do you decide which communities win?
Winning communities are determined by a two-step process.
- Identifying the finalists
The finalists for each province and territory are decided by three factors:
- Total minutes tracked
- Number of individuals and family members participating
- Number of organizations participating
All three factors will be evaluated, taking into consideration the total population of the community.
- Determining the winner
Immediately following the challenge, 50 finalist communities will be invited to complete a brief submission to support their case as to why their community should be selected as Canada’s Most Active Community.
The winners are determined based both on a combined score that includes their minutes, participation and finalist submission.
Does my community have a fair chance to win if we live in a small town?
Everyone has an equal chance to win. The scoring formula is based on total minutes, individual participation and organization participation. The population of the community is also factored into the overall score.
How can the prize money be used?
The money must support physical activity opportunities in the community. For example:
- Capital builds (playgrounds, trails, renovation, etc.)
- New or existing programs serving inactive or underrepresented groups
- The acquisition of equipment and supplies to enhance physical activity programs within the community (sport and recreation equipment for a community centre, recreational groups, etc.)
- Physical activity strategy development and implementation
What are the prizes?
Canada’s Most Active Community will receive the grand prize of $100,000 to support local physical activity initiatives.
One community in each of the remaining 12 provinces and territories will each receive between $7,500 and $15,000 to support local physical activity initiatives (depending on whether there was a provincial or territorial contribution to prizing).
In addition to the community prizing, there will be weekly prizing awarded to individuals and teams who track in the ParticipACTION app! Click here for the details.
Programs and Events
Can my organization register regularly occurring recreation events/programs to count towards our minutes?
Yes, any group physical activity can be tracked – whether in-person or virtual. Ongoing recreation activities such as a group fitness class, a sport club practice or a school Physical Education class are all eligible for tracking. Additionally, virtual classes and events that encourage people to participate on their own time can be tracked.
To ensure tracking accuracy, the local recreation centre coordinator, instructor or teacher is responsible for tracking the activities. Consider amplifying what you’re already doing by encouraging participants to bring a friend during the challenge or having a ‘try-it’ opportunity for non-members.
Who can I contact with unresolved questions?
We’re happy to help! Please email info@participACTION.com with any questions.