Global Collaborative Project

Stay Fit & Healthy

Introduction:

The focus of this project is to promote collaboration and healthy habits among students from the United States and Saudi Arabia. Using a mobile application, we aim to encourage these students to maintain their fitness levels by engaging in a five-day challenge. By fostering cooperation and friendly competition, we aspire to create a platform that not only promotes physical activity but also facilitates cultural exchange and friendship. Through this short-term initiative, participants will be motivated to stay active, support one another, and forge lasting connections that transcend borders. Together, let us embark on this journey to promote fitness and foster global unity through the power of technology.

Research:

 The STRIDEKICK app can be utilized in a global collaborative project in several ways, such as virtual challenges, goal setting and progress tracking, social features and communities, fundraising initiatives, and data sharing and research. Virtual challenges allow participants from different parts of the world to compete against each other, while goal setting and progress tracking allows participants to set collective goals and track their progress collectively. Social features and communities enable users to connect and interact with one another, while fundraising initiatives allow participants to engage in fitness-related challenges or events to raise funds for a charitable cause or project objective. Data sharing and research can be used to benefit the project and contribute to global health knowledge. The STRIDEKICK app can facilitate global collaboration in fitness-related activities, goal setting, social interactions, fundraising, and data sharing.

It can host virtual challenges, goal setting and progress tracking, and social features to enable users to connect and interact with one another. These features can be tailored to the specific goals and requirements of a global collaborative project. The STRIDEKICK app can be used to facilitate global collaboration in fitness-related activities, goal setting, social interactions, fundraising, and data sharing. It can track participants’ activities and progress, and participants can share their anonymized data with researchers or project organizers for analysis, insights, and research purposes. Its features and functionalities can be adapted to align with the specific goals of a global collaborative project.

Connection:

Establishing connections between students from the United States and Saudi Arabia. The goal is to find 10 students of the same age from each country to participate in the fitness challenge. To initiate this process, I reached out to a physical education teacher in Saudi Arabia who kindly assisted in finding five students. Additionally, I sought the help of a professor who connected me with a physical education teacher from Kent, who then helped identify five students from their school. In order to ensure the well-being of each participant, it is crucial to assess their health background. Prior to their involvement, a thorough evaluation of their health condition will be conducted. Furthermore, it is important to confirm that each participant possesses a personal mobile phone. Ideally, they should also have access to a smartwatch or fitness bracelet, as these devices can enhance their engagement and tracking capabilities throughout the challenge.

Design:

Organizing this project is designing the structure and parameters of the fitness challenge using the STRIDEKICK app. The primary objective is to form a group called “Stay Fit” and establish a collective goal that promotes the participants’ health and well-being. To determine the challenge goal, the metric chosen will be the number of steps taken by each participant. The average person typically walks between 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day. Therefore, the goal for the challenge will be set at achieving one step per day collectively as a group. The duration of the project will span five days, providing a specific time frame for participants to work towards the goal. It is essential to ensure that all students involved in the project download the STRIDEKICK app on their personal mobile phones. Once the app is downloaded, I will distribute the group code or link to all participants, allowing them to join the “Stay Fit” group. Upon entering the group, the app will display the names of the participating students and the number of steps everyone has completed. This feature will promote transparency and enable everyone to track each other’s progress, fostering a sense of global challenge and camaraderie among the participants.

As the project organizer, I will actively monitor the participants’ activity levels and provide guidance and support. Specifically, I will offer advice to individuals who are less active than others, encouraging them to adopt daily habits that promote an active lifestyle. By structuring the challenge in this way and providing ongoing support and motivation, the project aims to inspire participants to make positive changes in their daily routines and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

Execution:

After all the students entered the challenge group, the competition commenced from May 22 to May 26. Throughout this period, the steps, distances, and time taken to cover the distances were calculated for all participating students from both countries. The recorded steps taken by the participants were visible to everyone, creating a sense of competition and motivation to secure top positions. Attached here are the step counts of the participating students, showcasing their progress from the first day to the last day of the project.

Benefits:

1. Improved fitness levels: The competition encourages students to engage in physical activity and strive to stay fit, leading to improved overall fitness levels. Regular exercise has numerous health benefits, including better cardiovascular health, enhanced mood, and increased energy levels.
2. Sense of belonging and national pride: By participating in the competition, students develop a strong sense of belonging to their respective countries. They are motivated to represent their homeland and work towards achieving victory, fostering a sense of pride and unity among the participants.
3. Cultural exchange and learning: The project provide an excellent opportunity for cultural exchange between students from different countries. Participants can learn about the activities, traditions, and lifestyles of students from the other country, broadening their understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures.
4. Cross-cultural understanding: As students interact and compete with peers from another country, they gain a deeper understanding of the cultural nuances and perspectives of their counterparts. This promotes tolerance, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding, breaking down stereotypes and fostering global cooperation.
5. Time zone awareness: The competition prompts students to become aware of the time difference between the two countries. They may need to coordinate activities or communicate with their peers in the other country, fostering an understanding of time zones and promoting cross-cultural curiosity and awareness.

Challenges:

1. Difficulty finding participating students: One of the challenges may be identifying and recruiting the required number of students from both countries. It may take effort and coordination to locate willing participants, especially if there are specific criteria or eligibility requirements for participation.
2. App usage difficulties: Some students may face challenges in initially understanding how to use the mobile application. The app’s interface, features, and functionalities may require technical support and guidance to ensure all participants can navigate and utilize the app effectively.
3. Tracking steps accurately: Without the availability of smartwatches or fitness bracelets, accurately tracking the number of steps taken may be challenging. Participants may need to rely on alternative methods, such as using pedometer apps on their smartphones or manually estimating their activity level, which may not be as precise as dedicated tracking devices.
4. Participant limitation in the app: If the chosen application only allows for a limited number of participants, it may pose a challenge in accommodating a larger number of students from both countries. Alternative solutions, such as utilizing multiple apps or exploring different platforms, may be necessary to include more participants in the challenge and ensure fairness and equal opportunities.

Reflection:

Involves reflecting on the results of the students’ step counts and exploring factors that may have influenced their performance. The following points will be addressed:

• Environmental and climatic impact: It is important to consider whether the environment and climate of each country affected the students’ results. Factors such as weather conditions and accessibility to outdoor spaces for physical activity may have influenced the students’ engagement and step counts.
• Identifying the most active students: An analysis will be conducted to determine which students demonstrated the highest level of activity. This evaluation aims to identify patterns and trends, and whether specific countries had a higher number of active students compared to others.
• Discrepancy in activity levels: It will be noted that Saudi students were less active compared to their counterparts from the United States. This observation may prompt further investigation into the possible reasons for this difference.
• Factors contributing to student activity: In the organizer’s opinion, factors such as favourable weather conditions for outdoor activities, a higher prevalence of smartwatches among American students, and a sports culture that emphasizes physical activity might contribute to the higher activity levels observed among American students. These insights may provide valuable context for understanding the varying levels of student participation.

Things that can help the project develop in the future:

• Ensuring participants have smart watches: To enhance tracking accuracy and engagement, it would be beneficial for all participants to have access to smart watches or fitness bracelets. These devices provide more precise data and can serve as a motivating factor for students to stay active.

• Encouraging indoor walking: Recognizing the climate differences between countries, encouraging students to walk in air-conditioned indoor spaces can provide an alternative for physical activity, particularly during extreme weather conditions. This can ensure that students can participate comfortably and consistently.

• Creating an inclusive project environment: It is crucial to establish an atmosphere that is suitable for all students, regardless of their fitness levels or abilities. Providing modifications, alternative activities, or personalized goals can ensure that every participant feels included and motivated to engage in the project.

• Inclusion of prizes for winners: To add excitement and further motivation, incorporating prizes for the top three winners can incentivize participants to strive for higher step counts and overall engagement. These prizes can serve as recognition for their efforts and further enhance the competitive aspect of the project.

• Developing a dedicated application: Consider creating a customized application specifically tailored for the project. This application should accommodate more than 10 participants, allowing a larger number of students to join the challenge. This can expand the reach of the project and enable more students to benefit from the experience.

By implementing these suggestions, the project can evolve and reach new levels of success, fostering increased engagement, competition, and participation among students.

 References:

Stridekick Challenges Home. Available at: https://stridekick.com/challenges .