By Kendall Worth!
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of this post, I want to make a note touching on where the idea of holding a protest style sign came from, and why I decided on the picture I wanted to use for this post. I heard from some of my regular readers and followers of my BLOG, that they really like those posts where I am holding protest style signs, and asked for more of them. It is all about trying new things, so that is why I am holding a protest sign in this picture!
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| Sign Reads: "I am standing in the parking lot of Point Pleasant Park. It is sad that people living in poverty do not or cannot enjoy nature more. Walking through these trails is good for mental health and costs nothing." |
Readers may remember this BLOG post – about the Mitigating Social Isolation Project -- which is now called All Together Link. We created and distributed some surveys, and one question asked about preference for activities and included Physical Activities – Hiking and walking, team sports, Etc. No one checked that one off. Most who filled out the survey checked off everything except that one.
To me personally, this was sad because we offered a check list of zero cost social activities, to keep people living in poverty from social isolation. However, according to one of the service providers we talked to while disturbing these surveys, it did not come as a surprise. He said many of the people that use his service, especially if they are down and out, or homeless, walk an estimated 20km or more per day. Not just to walk from food banks to soup kitchens but because they have no where else to go, so they spend a lot of the day “walking around”, making walking unappealing as a form of recreation.
It is sad that none of the survey respondents checked off Physical Activities – Hiking and walking, team sports, Etc. because I am told that doing things like this is a great way to reduce anxiety and depression. One person I brought the news to, shared this article with me. The few income assistance recipients who are interested in nature through places like Point Pleasant Park, have to find a social group of friends to do this. It has zero cost and so it is sad that no one checked this one off. All the first voice people I spoke to, and myself, agree that walking in nature with a group of friends on a Saturday has nothing to do with our day-to-day lives visiting food-banks or soup-kitchens. This social activity is all about reducing stress and anxiety. It is too bad that people completing the survey did not think this way when they saw the Physical Activities – hiking and walking, team sports option -- offered in the survey. Another issue is that, for those in wheelchairs or with other mobility issues, most of the trails are not paved, are gravel or have uneven surfaces. There are however, some paved trails in N.S.
So what seems to be clear to the community I advocate for is that if you want to walk nature trails and walking trails, though it has zero cost , they are going to have to continue to do so by-themselves. I will end this post by reporting that when I break to news to Zenda (who I reported on in this BLOG post) the fact that no-one checked off Physical Activities – Hiking and walking, team sports, she will be disappointed, because a social group who likes walking trails in Halifax is something she is looking for.
I can offer that https://www.hikenovascotia.ca/ns-walks-find-a-walking-group/ Has free no cost walking groups in several places around the city, including on trails.
I wish Zenda, and any other welfare recipient the best luck in finding friends who will like nature and walking trails.
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