Why Raise a Ruckus?
Research shows that physical activity can help address poor health outcomes associated with childhood obesity. In addition, physical activity is associated with better mental and physical health. With this in mind, the goal of Ruckus Nation is to find great ideas for fun, engaging new products that will increase physical activity among middle school-aged kids (ages 11 to 14). Can a Competition Make a Difference? “Ruckus Nation is catalytic. Great ideas will be transformed into real products that get kids moving,” said HopeLab president Pat Christen. “Experience tells us that combining great ideas with top-notch research leads to innovative solutions.” HopeLab will develop one or more of the winning ideas from Ruckus Nation into prototypes that can be tested to determine their effectiveness. Successful prototypes will be turned into real products and distributed broadly. Chinwe Onyekere, program officer of the Pioneer Portfolio of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is co-sponsoring R
