MEND Graduates

MEND is committed to investing in services that promote sustainability of the health and fitness improvements that children achieve on the MEND Programme and that encourage MEND families to lead MEND-Friendly lives well after the Programmes have ended. MEND promotes this both on a local and central level:

Locally:

Local sites running MEND are encouraged to develop local exit strategies for families completing the MEND Programme. Where local budgets will allow it, this includes providing free or discounted leisure/swim passes to the local leisure centres for several months after the programme, as well as actively signposting families to other local activity clubs, after-school clubs and exercise programmes running locally. In addition, several local MEND sites have successfully piloted MEND Graduate Exercise Classes, which enable the families to continue to meet together once a week for an hour of fun play and activity for the children after the MEND Programme ends.

Centrally:

MEND is also actively developing a number of exciting services for MEND Graduates centrally. These will be introduced across the coming year and are likely to include:

• Fostering national partnerships with organizations such as Little Legs/Get Walking (a new initiative of The Rambler's Association) and other like organizations that can provide MEND Graduates with opportunities to continue to be fit and active and live a MEND-Friendly life!
• Password-protected access for graduates to MEND’s website, to access updates on new MEND-Friendly recipe ideas; new MEND-Friendly products available; seasonal handouts;
• Regional MEND Graduate reunions
• Peer mentoring
• MEND Loyalty Cards

Watch this space for future updates!