Through exercise, increase the independence and quality of life of older people in your community
"Welcome to the ChangeX Siel Bleu guide! We're delighted you're interested in bringing Siel Bleu classes to your community. Here you’ll find all the information, practical tips and resources you need. There is someone to help you at each stage of the journey so don't be afraid to get in touch!" - Jean-Michel Ricard, Co-Founder of Siel Bleu
As a leader you’ll needapproximately 4 hours a weekto get Siel Bleu classes started. Asa trainer the number of hours willdepend on your own availabilityand demand.
Before you begin, it’s good to have a clear understanding of likely local demand in your community. Get to know relevant local networks such as older adults forums, primary care clinics, active retirement groups, sports partnerships and the local residential and day care services. Talk to as many relevant people as possible and explore whether they would be interested in participating in Siel Bleu classes.
Talking to your local G.P. or any health professional working with older people will be a good place to start enquiring about potential local demand.
Talk directly to some older people involved in these groups and ask them if Siel Bleu classes are something they're interested in. If you get positive responses from ten or more people, then it's likely that there will be sufficient demand to run a class locally. Once you have an initial group interested, you'll find that awareness will spread through word of mouth and demand will build further over time.
Once you have established that there is demand for Siel Bleu classes in your community you're ready to move onto the next step and contact your local Trainer.
Check out the list of locations to see all active Siel Bleu Trainers and the locations in which they operate: Locations
If there's already one operating in your area, you should Register to start a new class and this trainer will be in touch with you to arrange next steps. If there is no trainer in your area, then perhaps you know someone who is qualified to train?
This person should:
If you or someone you know satisfies these criteria, they can apply to Siel Bleu to become a trainer. They will then have to through an interview process with Siel Bleu HQ and in order to progress to Siel Bleu training the following documentation will need to be submitted:
In the community each session generally costs 5 euro. This fee covers trainer travel costs and Siel Bleu HQ costs including evaluations, reporting, design and adaption of the programme as well as delivery.
If there are Siel Bleu classes operating anywhere you could go visit don't be afraid to get in touch and arrange a visit - seeing a class in action will really bring it to life!
You'll need to find a suitable venue to host Siel Bleu classes. This may be a community centre, a room in a local school or sports centre but ideally one that is available free of charge for community use. Try to find a venue that is easily accessible for most people in the community and is warm and comfortable for class participants. If you're nervous about asking for access to a venue free of charge, remember that you're not asking for you but for the good of the whole community!
Once a venue is secured, you should choose a time and date to run an introductory class. Agree this with the trainer, the venue manager and then you're ready to get in touch with your class participants.
If you a current Siel Bleu trainer, they can provide the introductory class at a time that suits but if you've recruited a new trainer, an existing Siel Bleu trainer will provide the first class while the new trainer receives training.
At the start of first class, the trainer will conduct physical evaluations and nutritional screening to ensure that the class is specially designed for everyone there. The class structure will then be designed according to the needs of the class participants and realigned as required.
To find out more about what makes Siel Bleu classes unique, why not get in touch with your mentor who can give you lots more information about the classes and why they work. Just Register to start to get connected.
Once everything is up and running, the trainer is in place and participants are happy, your work is almost done! You might need to help out with advertising, opening up the venue or arranging a cup of tea after class but hopefully you can find some helpful volunteers who won't mind helping out with this.
The trainer will be responsible for running the classes and liaising with Siel Bleu HQ on all adminstrative and reporting issues.
