There is a space on the top floor of the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies (SKHS) building that buzzes with enthusiasm. Community members are busy using exercise equipment, while students are close at hand to ‘revv up’ the participants.
Closely aligned with Queen’s Strategy and its Queen’s in the Community and Student Learning goals, SDGs 3 Good Health and Wellbeing and 10 Reduced Inequalities, the Revved Up program has been combining adaptive exercise programming for community members experiencing disability with a unique educational experience for Queen’s students for close to two decades.
“We started in 2007 with seven members and now have 200,” says SKHS faculty member Amy Latimer-Cheung who began Revved Up with colleague Mary Ann McColl (Rehabilitation Therapy). “With the gym being our living lab space, the program has evolved into a collaboration that has profound impact in the local community and for students - with practice informing teaching and learning and research. A kind of synergy has developed that we are very proud of.”
Revved Up has partnerships with many local organizations such as Providence Care and Community Living Kingston, and the program empowers its members.
“My prognosis was initially very dire and complex problems meant that many in healthcare said I couldn’t do anything beyond an assisted range of motion,” says member Glen Arendt. “None of the students treated me that way, instead they encouraged me to try new things and push myself. I am now starting to use my affected side without constant aid, and this has helped me outside the gym.”
The program pairs members with students for connection and support to help them execute their exercise programs. As interest grew, Latimer-Cheung formalized the learning into a stream of courses and with strong support from colleagues in SKHS, the Certificate in Disability and Physical Activity (DIPA) was created in 2019. Jennifer Tomasone, SKHS associate professor, developed the curriculum to meet the needs of members and students, and feedback is sought regularly to ensure continued success.
“Aside from benefitting from the program, members report appreciation for being part of the students’ education and students say that they welcome more responsibility,” says Amanda Cunningham, Revved Up/DIPA Coordinator. “Both groups agree that their experiences are transformative.”
Although competitive to gain a spot, the certificate is an option for all Queen’s students and there are currently 140 enrolled in its various phases. Students learn about exercise prescription with a focus on considerations for persons experiencing disabilities, develop a deeper understanding of what it means for persons to live with disability and chronic disease, and how to be good leaders and mentors. At the end of the certificate, students will have spent over 160 hours working in the gym and since its launch, 155 students have completed the program.
“Students often tell us that the certificate is a turning point in their career trajectory,” says Jennifer Tomasone who first worked with Latimer-Cheung as program coordinator in the early days, decided to go into this area of research as a result, and they now co-direct Revved Up together. “There are students who say they came to Queen’s because of the certificate. There are also students who decide to take it out of interest and once they experience the impact their participation has, decide to embrace new paths in this field, like my own experience.”
As a result of their involvement with Revved Up, many students dedicate project and thesis work to the research. For example, Tomasone and Latimer-Cheung, along with students and colleagues, have developed . The tool is available to other community-based exercise programs and Tomasone has also started a national community of practice - a network of exercise programs - where Revved Up serves as a model for those aspiring to put together similar experiential learning programs. These partners get together every four months to share things that are going well, what they need support with, and help shape the direction of any grants and funding received by Revved Up.
In addition to the students in DIPA, 150 other students are trained every year to be volunteers. These students give their time generously in the gym and online through Revved Up @ Home, a product of the pivot necessitated by the pandemic that has endured. Many students are also in the co-founded by students and DIPA alumnae Hannah Burt (ArtSci ’24) and Helen Lord, a PhD student.
“Being in chemistry, I didn’t know about Revved Up until I took Professor Tomasone’s health class as an elective in undergrad,“ says Lord. “Once I completed the DIPA certificate, I just knew that other students would want to learn about and get involved in such an amazing opportunity, so the motivation behind the club stems directly from the passion we, as students, have for supporting such a great program."
Last year, the club hosted its first Walk-or-Roll-A-Thon for which many local businesses contributed items for a silent auction, food, and entertainment. Over 100 community members came together at the event with members, students, and volunteers and close to thirteen thousand dollars was raised for Revved Up to purchase a new piece of exercise equipment. The club has plans for the upcoming year that include even more fundraising and outreach and this year’s Walk-or-Roll-A-Thon is set to take place on March 22 at 1 pm at the ARC.
Looking forward, the Revved Up team is considering how they can build on their synergy and impact by extending training and experiential learning beyond Queen’s students with an online certificate program. They are also participating in an initiative being led by the Sisters of Providence in developing solutions for reducing isolation among seniors.
To learn more about Revved Up, visit their or . More stories highlighting community-engaged learning will continue to be profiled in the coming months on the Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor’s website.