Ambassador and project manager
At JOGG, Nicole Beukers is the project manager for The Daily Mile and, together with former top speed skater Erben Wennemars, is proudly a JOGG ambassador. As a JOGG ambassador, she regularly visits schools throughout the Netherlands. In addition, Beukers makes a concrete contribution at JOGG to creating a healthy living environment for all children in the Netherlands. “Within the settings of school, neighbourhood and media, I focus on everything related to the theme of ‘exercise’. This includes The Daily Mile, but also many other initiatives, such as Peuter4daagse, of which I am also the project manager and where I work together with the Royal Dutch Walking Association (KWbN). We also look at the possibilities of gamification in exercise with municipalities.”
The collaboration between JOGG and its initiative The Daily Mile and Avond4daagse began several years ago, before the coronavirus. “Margot Vandermeulen, project manager at KWbN, contacted JOGG because we have the same goal: getting children to exercise enough with enjoyment. KWbN achieves this with Avond4daagse, while since September 2016 we have done so with The Daily Mile, which is often run at least three times a week so that running becomes a regular habit.”
After completing the Avond4daagse challenge, the children receive a diploma.
End goal
Beukers noticed that many schools were already trying to introduce variety into The Daily Mile in order to continue motivating teachers and children to run. And she noticed something else, she says: “Setting a goal helps people keep running. An Avond4daagse is a wonderful end goal. Through The Daily Mile, schools can work towards the Avond4daagse’s end goal by running in slightly different ways during the final six weeks before the event. The basic principle of The Daily Mile remains the same – exercising for fifteen minutes at least three times a week – but it may include, for example, a walking boot camp, with a sprint or the use of a bench. Or brain boosters, fun cognitive exercises.”
Enjoying the Avond4daagse. Photo: Sharon Willems.
Stamp cards
Taking part in the combination is not compulsory for the 619 schools currently registered with JOGG as participants in The Daily Mile. Beukers: “It happens on request. After registering, the schools are sent a communications package.” This year, the schools will receive stamp cards. Beukers: “That is because at The Daily Mile we see that physical cards that can be displayed in the classroom are highly motivating. At The Daily Mile, we use bingo cards for this purpose, and the stamp card has now been developed as part of the collaboration with Avond4daagse.”
Peuter4daagse
The collaboration between KWbN and JOGG is going so well that a second partnership has now also been launched: Peuter4daagse for the youngest children. This initiative is aimed at children aged 0 to 4. “The idea for a Peuter4daagse originated several years ago at a childcare centre for toddlers in Heerlen. After several successful years in Limburg, we are offering Peuter4daagse throughout the country for the first time this year together with KWbN.”
Avond4daagse in figures
- A household name for 75 years
- 600 Avond4daagse events annually throughout the Netherlands
- 500,000 participating children
- 20,000 volunteers
- 1,500,000 people involved (parents, grandparents, teachers, etc.)
Nicole Beukers
Nicole Beukers (31), from Leiden, is a former elite athlete. As an Olympic rower, she won silver in the quadruple sculls at the 2016 Games in Rio and came sixth at the 2021 Games in Tokyo. She also became world champion in the quadruple sculls in 2017 and came second at the European Championships that same year. At the Pedagogical Academy for Primary Education of The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Beukers completed both the ‘Primary School Teacher’ and ‘(Specialist) Physical Education Teacher in Primary Education’ programmes. Having participated in elite sport for fifteen years, Beukers experienced the positive effects of exercise herself. “That is why I would like to inspire professionals to get moving. The Daily Mile is a great tool for this: it is easy to implement, as I know from experience – I have also taught in a classroom myself – and it is accessible.”
Opening photo: The Daily Mile in the municipality of Oldebroek.