Local services
The “Move, Debrecen!” initiative has “outgrown” the location of its large-scale indoor exercise programmes in the health development center at 11 St. Anne Street, and is moving to 8 Piac Street, to the gym of the Bethlen Gábor Technical School and Dormitory of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre.
The change of location was announced at a press conference by Diána Széles, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen; Csaba Papp, Director of the Debrecen Primary Care and Health Development Institute (Daefi); Zsolt Tirpák, Chancellor of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre; and Éva Angéla Kerek-Alföldi, Director of the Bethlen Gábor Technical School and Dormitory of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre on the 6th of February, 2025.
As Diána Széles said, ”One of the goals when opening the health development center at 11 St. Anne Street was to give the city’s residents in the city center the opportunity to participate in the indoor exercise programmes of the “Move, Debrecen!” initiative. This location, which primarily hosts health screenings and health development programmes, has proven to be suitable for this purpose, but the needs have grown beyond it. When the initiative approached the Debrecen Vocational Training Center and the Bethlen Technical School, they immediately agreed to help, and they will provide a new indoor location in the school gymnasium, which is much more spacious than the one on Szent Anna Street, for the “Move, Debrecen!” initiative programmes.” Diána Széles emphasised that health screenings and health development programmes, as well as small-scale exercise programmes such as sitting exercises, are of course still available at 11 St. Anne Street, and these services can still be used by showing the Debrecen City Card. The programmes, which now offer active workers the opportunity to exercise after working hours at the new location, which is now located in the easily accessible gymnasium of the Bethlen Technical School in the city center, are free and open to all interested parties, and no prior registration or presentation of the Debrecen City Card is required. The Deputy Mayor thanked the Debrecen Vocational Training Center for its enthusiastic support of the “Move, Debrecen!” initiative and its school programme. In addition to the original ideas targeting primary school students, the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre was the initiator of introducing the school programme on a pilot basis in its own secondary education institutions, and created the conditions for this, including additional recognition of the work of physical education teachers who act as coordinators of the programme in schools. And great recognition also goes to the students of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre participating in the school programme who commute to Debrecen from the surrounding settlements, which is why they wake up practically at dawn every day, and despite this, they actively and enthusiastically participate in the after-school physical activity programmes. They consider it important to devote time and energy to moving away from the digital world and being in a community. And these young people, although they are not specifically athletes, demand to compete with each other on behalf of their schools, which has another identity- and community-forming power.
Zsolt Tirpák stated that both the individual and their community are successful if their environment is successful. And this city, economically, socially, and mentally, provides such an environment, which is extremely important. In Debrecen, labour market opportunities are constantly opening up for young people, and it is very good that there is a place to work, a place to thrive. However, the key question is how we work, how we experience everyday life, how healthy the environment is, and how healthy the state of mind is. The city plays a huge role in this, as it creates a constructive and supportive environment, and shapes children, young people, and the less young alike into a community. Exercise not only strengthens physical health, but also mental health. According to Zsolt Tirpák, we will be happy, smiling people if we feel good physically, and this will allow us to achieve success in the labour market or anywhere in life. Wherever he goes in the country, he experiences people asking the people of Debrecen why they are so smiling and successful. The answer to this is because Debrecen has a secret, cooperation, togetherness. This requires extremely strong city leadership, as well as the fact that all members of the community naturally stand behind the common objectives, and the members of the city’s community, including, of course, the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre, and thus, together, can be successful. As the Chancellor said, “The Debrecen Vocational Training Centre is very happy to participate in the ‘Move, Debrecen! initiative for the benefit of the city’s community, and in this way, it not only helps young people become healthier and create a community within its vocational training institutions, but also opens the schools to the citizens of the city, introducing them to vocational training opportunities with many people, and thus creating meeting points and community venues.” Zsolt Tirpák emphasised that the doors of their institutions are open, and they are ready to open locations for “Move, Debrecen!” initiative’s programmes in other parts of the city too, because it is important to them that the city’s residents create a healthy, strong, spiritually balanced, cohesive, mutually supportive, and successful community. The Chancellor also thanked all participants for their cooperation within the framework of the “Move, Debrecen” initiative.
Csaba Papp drew attention to the fact that the school’s current gymnasium was once a chapel, which has now become a sanctuary for movement, thus serving the conscious lifestyle change of the residents. In this regard, he recalled that as a local government representative, he had greeted a 90-year-old gentleman from Debrecen the previous day, from whom he naturally asked about the secret of a long life. The answer revealed that the elderly gentleman had always considered work, physical activity, and movement important throughout his life. Csaba Papp said that the “Move, Debrecen! initiative builds its creed on this, supporting the health-preserving activities of the population with its free programmes. The new downtown location, the gymnasium of Bethlen Technical School offers body-shaping aerobics on Mondays between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., spine gymnastics on
Tuesdays between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., yoga between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., spine gymnastics on Thursdays between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., yoga between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and body-shaping aerobics between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Special thanks to the school for providing this opportunity in the evening. According to the plans, there will also be a Zumba class on Wednesdays between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. from April 2, 2025. Csaba Papp, Director of the Debrecen Primary Care and Health Development Institute (Daefi), also thanked the Clinical Centre of the University of Debrecen, which provides the scientific background for the health promotion activities in the city, which are much more than a physical activity programme, and thus the fulfillment of the idea of the caring city.
Éva Angéla Kerek-Alföldi, the Director of Bethlen Technical School, said that they are happy to host the “Move, Debrecen! initiative programmes, as their gymnasium is excellent for those interested to exercise here in the afternoons. They also tried to provide a suitable environment by freshly painting the locker rooms. As the Director said, “There is also great interest in the new exercise opportunities among her colleagues at the school, and many of them will join the groups.
In connection with the press conference, members of the “Move, Debrecen! initiative’s walking group, which regularly exercises in the community, who arrived at this location after a one-and-a-half-hour walk combined with health education, and students of Bethlen Technical School were able to take part in a short spinal exercise session.
For details of the “Move, Debrecen! initiative’s physical activity, health screening and other health promotion programmes, visit https://mozduljdebrecen.hu/ and https://gondoskodovaros.hu.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
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