By Courtney Roark
The West Virginia Physical Activity Network (WVPAN), a project of the West Virginia Community Development Hub, launched a social media photo contest in July 2016 that ran through the end of September. The purpose of the project was to establish an ongoing effort while accomplishing some important goals in educating people about physical activity opportunities in West Virginia. Project goals included showing both West Virginians and other states how physically active we already are and how many great opportunities we have to be more active.
Photo taken by first-place winner Beth Rota
West Virginians don’t have as much access to conventional modes of activity that most other populations benefit from like gyms and studios, but we do have great trail systems, parks and communities that work to make physical activity opportunities accessible to residents.
WVPAN hopes this campaign has and will continue to encourage West Virginians to tell their friends and family on social media when they are being active, what activities they enjoy and why being active is so important to them as a means of encouraging and lifting up those in their social network to seek out similar opportunities.
In the process of all of that, the organization works to connect with people directly to give them access to the resources available.
Throughout the contest, WVPAN also highlighted its sponsors, which are outdoor recreation, fitness and wellness businesses and organizations that participants could connect with to learn more about their services. Winners even got the opportunity to try out new activities thanks to prizes provided by sponsors, which included free stand-up paddle board lessons and rentals, bicycle rentals, yoga sessions and adventure park passes.
“This has been a very positive experience for my entire family,” says Charles Perry, second-place prize winner of WVPAN’s photo contest. “My son and nephew feel a real sense of pride in their hiking endeavors, and this has led to them wanting to be outdoors and active even more. My wife and I have taken up biking because we feel inspired to be better and healthier role models for the kids. We look forward to seeing more tips, news and contests from the West Virginia Physical Activity Network.”
Photo contest participants were required to:
- Display a picture of themselves, their friends and/or their family members being physically active,
- Include a caption that explained why physical activity is important to them and/or their community,
- Use the hashtag #WVWhatMovesYou and
- Tag the West Virginia Physical Activity Network’s social media account on whichever platform they were utilizing.
Each week throughout the entry period, WVPAN’s social media accounts shared details for one sponsor and one photo entry. Around 15 people shared posts via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and on September 14, six finalists were announced. On September 22, the organization announced the first, second and third-place winners, which were decided based on popular vote from social media likes.
WVPAN hopes to conduct the contest again and expand its list of sponsors and prizes.
As the organization continues to move forward in an effort to highlight existing opportunities to be physically active in West Virginia and expand on those opportunities to make them more widely available, West Virginians are encouraged to display their active lifestyles on social media and use the hashtags #WVPAN, #BeActiveWV, #ActiveWV and #WVWhatMovesYou.
About the Author
Courtney Roark is currently serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the West Virginia Community Development Hub to coordinate the West Virginia Physical Activity Network. She holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. A native of Kentucky, Roark currently resides in Charleston, WV, and enjoys hiking and traveling.
