Annemarie Buitenhuis worked at the Haaglanden Municipal Health Service in The Hague from 2012 to 2017, before taking up her current position. There, she worked in the Schilderswijk district, among other things as a specialist school nurse for healthy lifestyles—a position that closely matched what she does now: “I specialised in healthy lifestyles there and worked extensively with families with children who were overweight. I also contributed to The Hague’s JOGG approach. During that period, I worked a great deal with parents and children and was also part of care teams.” Since April 2020, she has been the JOGG coordinator for the municipality of Delft. In this role, she focuses more on coordinating the programme and working with the network and associated partners.

Annemarie started working in Delft at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. “As a result, the topic—healthy lifestyles and overweight, and the relationship between them—immediately took on a very different significance. In addition, governments and partners began paying much more attention to the subject. And, very importantly, awareness increased. That awareness is necessary to take the next steps. All of this made my work more interesting and enjoyable, and gave us more opportunities to work with partners in Delft.”

Delft was one of the first JOGG municipalities in the Netherlands in 2011. “That helps, because it means that the JOGG structure is familiar in Delft. In recent years, partly because of the growing attention to the subject, we have seen that cooperation with partners has become more intensive and is also improving and becoming more positive.”

Youngest children

Annemarie noticed that primary school-age children were well represented in JOGG Delft’s activities. The partners were also reasonably active in this area. “However, during the coronavirus period we noticed that the motor skills of the youngest children—aged 0 to 4—had deteriorated. We also observed that Delft offered little physical activity for this group.” It is an investment that is useful and necessary, says Annemarie: “You can see that the younger children start exercising and taking part in sports, the longer they continue doing so as teenagers and adolescents. For that reason, this year we focused on increasing the range of physical activities for the youngest children and strengthening the structure and cooperation in this area. We primarily started working with partners involved in sports provision and youth healthcare. In youth healthcare, we are focusing on referrals to sports and physical activity programmes and on stimulating motor development and physical activity.”

Parents

When encouraging physical activity among the youngest children, it is important to involve parents as full-fledged discussion partners, says Annemarie: “That way, you discover what the obstacles are and what the parents’ world looks like. This enables you to better respond to what is needed to get the children moving more. It also allows you to ensure that parents encourage their children to be active because they understand its importance. And if there are financial barriers, you can look at what a Youth Fund for Sport & Culture can do. In addition, together with the community sports coaches, we looked at options for an attractive and affordable programme in the neighbourhood for the very youngest children. For example, there are playgrounds in the neighbourhoods where community sports coaches organise free sports activities every week, particularly for primary school-age children. In September, in cooperation with a school, we also started such an activity for children aged 2 to 4 in the Tanthof district.”

Research also shows, says Annemarie, that having good motor skills has a significant effect on children’s health. “And I don’t mean just physical health, but also mental health, social interaction between children and their self-confidence. This in turn affects cognitive development, school performance and the role in society that a child learns to take on. It all shows that investing in sport and physical activity for the youngest children yields significant benefits, including in the long term.”

King’s Games

Delft has also been taking part in the King’s Games for many years. Annemarie explains why this is so important. “Events such as the King’s Games are excellent hooks for bringing the topic to people’s attention in a fun and positive way. They also provide an opportunity to connect with children together with partners who can play a role on such a day. Such a day can also provide a platform for sports providers to promote their offerings. The healthy breakfast, which is also part of the King’s Games, plays a role as well. In this way, eating, playing and exercising together give children a positive association. The fact that children experience it as fun and as a celebration is then an excellent opening for children or parents who face barriers in this area.”

Enthusiastic children at the 2022 King’s Games in Delft. Photo: Roos Pierson.

This year, the opening of the King’s Games took place in Delft. “Together with the partners and schools, JOGG Delft gave all the children at the schools where the opening took place bags. They contained a water bottle to encourage drinking water, as well as all kinds of information about sports activities. In this way, we wanted to show parents: this is available, it is fun, and you can explore whether it suits your family. Conversely, the King’s Games were a great opportunity for the partners to reach the parents.”

Summer activities

For several years now, JOGG Delft has also deliberately focused on summer activities. “During this period, children miss out on some of the sport and physical activity provided through school. In addition, there are children who do not go on holiday and have few other activities. It is precisely for those children that you want to continue offering sport and physical activity during the summer. This gives them something meaningful to do, while also giving them the opportunity to exercise and play sports with other children. Moreover, we want to convey that sport and physical activity are fun and normal.”

Girls’ football was one of the summer activities in Delft in 2022. Photo: Alyssa van Heyst.

National Sports Week

For several years, children have been able to try out various sports for a small fee through Delft Try Out. In addition, for the past two years the Delft Sports Week has been organised in the autumn as part of National Sports Week. In 2021, around 25 sports clubs took part. During Delft Sports Week, all groups—including parents and children—can get acquainted with various sports free of charge. “Low-threshold access is also an important principle at Delft Sports Week. It is also a good opportunity to showcase the range of sports and physical activities, so that parents and children can find out what suits them best.”

Learning from Delft

Annemarie has a tip for other JOGG municipalities: “If you want to reach the target group that is hardest to reach, you need to ensure that the sports provision is as close as possible to the target group and as accessible as possible. So make sure it does not cost much and choose places where children and parents already go. It is also good, wherever possible, to connect with meetings that are already being organised in the neighbourhood. If you do all that, you have the greatest chance of reaching the target group and responding to what is feasible for them. Not every parent is able to attend training sessions and competitions every week, especially when they take place outside the neighbourhood.” Annemarie also has a tip for sports clubs: “Link your club’s activities to after-school programmes at the schools themselves. And hold your activity at the school or at play areas such as neighbourhood playgrounds.”

Opening photo: One of the sports offered during National Sports Week in Delft was cricket. Photo: Hans Dunlop.