For these kids, going out for a run means much more than just exercise.

They’re students in a pilot program called Run2Fit which is part of an alternate high school program called Give Yourself Credit. It has about 18 students, aged 16 to 21, and operates outside the public school system.

Students in Run2Fit are learning to breathe correctly, deal with anxiety and pace themselves. The goal is that they will become better runners and healthier people in part because these regular runs.

“For this population of youth it’s really important to get them engaged,” said Eliza Hesselink, a youth worker with Give Yourself Credit. “The best way to do that is to be creative and come up with different programs that we can do to get them out and active in the community.”

The classroom’s teacher, Tracy Hunter, and Hesselink dreamed up the idea of the running program nearly a year ago. It is aimed at encouraging an active lifestyle and also acts as an academic assignment giving them a credit toward their Grade 11 peer and leadership course.

Both Hunter, 31, and Hesselink, 30, have found running to be confidence-building and empowering.