Local services
Zumba classes and gym classes are now also available in the sports hall of the Szent László Greek Catholic High School and Vocational School.
Deputy Mayor of Debrecen Diána Széles, Director of the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi) Csaba Papp, Éva Judit Hámori, Director of the Szent László Greek Catholic High School and Vocational School, announced the new opportunity at a press conference on the 6th of November 2023.
As Diána Széles said, the aim of the “Move, Debrecen!” movement, launched two years ago in the spirit of the Caring City idea, was to get more people moving around the city. The initiative has been so successful that the movement now offers free exercise for almost all age groups. In its first year, more than 17,000 people attended the programmes. The second year also saw the launch of the school programme, with nearly 1,500 primary and secondary school children moving twice a week. Recently, more than 1,000 young people danced in a flash mob in Debrecen’s main square. The video of this event was viewed by more than 1 million 660,000 on the Facebook page of the local newspaper.
Diána Széles said that more people are expected to perform the same choreography during the Advent Fair. The Szent László Greek Catholic High School and Vocational School recently joined the movement, which two weeks ago organised a playful movement competition with 20 teams of primary school students and offered to make their gym available for other programmes of the movement. The Pósa Street venue proved to be too small; the gymnasium of the Szent László Greek Catholic High School and Vocational School became the new venue for the Zumba and gym classes.
Diána Széles also said that now there are a total of six places in the city – mainly community centres – where Zumba and yoga classes and back exercises can be attended. On Wednesdays, there is an outdoor programme of community running and walking.
She reported that in two years of the movement, more than 38,000 people have taken part in the outdoor and indoor programmes and health screenings. Including participants in the school programme and the flashmob, this number has now exceeded 41,000. Diána Széles recommended that those interested in regular exercise should visit the social media page of the movement, where they can also find out about the programmes available at the Szent Anna Street health centre.
Director Éva Judit Hámori said that they were happy to join the movement. The school has a long tradition: for 57 years, it has been training health professionals for Debrecen and the region, and as a high school, it has also been successfully preparing young people for higher education. Its gymnasium is a 960-square-metre steel-framed tent with a recurved pitch and 198 seats. Their students play sports here regularly, not only during PE lessons but also in the afternoons. Now, the gates are open to welcome adults who want to exercise regularly.
According to Csaba Papp, Director of Daefi, the movement was motivated by the realisation that the city’s residents lead a lifestyle of physical inactivity, which can lead to a number of health problems. “We needed to get people moving and provide them the opportunity to do so,” he stressed.
There are other municipal movements in the country similar to the one in Debrecen, but here, the free programme is year-round.
Csaba Papp stressed that the main message of this programme is to make people love exercise and to pass on the message that all kinds of exercise are useful and healthy. Half an hour of regular exercise every day can even save lives. The school’s gymnasium can provide many exercise opportunities, as it has a huge space. The timing of the Zumba classes is such that it is convenient for those who want to attend after work, even after their children have left school. Csaba Papp also said that the 1,500 children participating in the school programme are the equivalent of a primary school year in Debrecen. He also thanked the school for providing the new venue for the movement.
Zumba classes are held in the school’s sports hall (Debrecen, Thomas Mann Street 16.) on Mondays and Fridays between 6.00 and 7.00 pm and on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 3.30 and 4.30 pm. Participation is free of charge.
Source and photo credit: Debrecen.hu
