In record time, The Daily Mile has grown into an activity taking place in schools all over the world. Based on the official registrations, nearly 1.9 million children worldwide are already taking part. England is by far the frontrunner, followed by Belgium, Scotland and Ireland, and participation is also growing rapidly in the Netherlands. The real boost came when the British chemical company Ineos embraced The Daily Mile in 2016 and became its main sponsor. The foundation that was established at that time is now making good progress. Characteristic of the initiative is that the websites of the participating countries have the same look and feel, that most countries have their own ambassadors—such as Erben Wennemars in the Netherlands and high jumper Tia Hellebaut in Belgium—and that there are several major implementation partners. In the Netherlands, Jongeren Op Gezond Gewicht (JOGG) has been at the helm since the autumn of 2016.
JOGG and Energy Lab
Marieke Willemsen, senior communications adviser at JOGG, explains why it makes sense for JOGG to strongly promote The Daily Mile in the Netherlands: “In the Netherlands too, you can see that children spend far too much time sitting during a school day. We believe it is time to break this pattern and challenge children to exercise more. JOGG focuses on children’s environment: in our view, a healthy childhood begins with the child’s environment. A school also has a major influence on young people’s lives. Making the school environment healthier and more conducive to exercise is therefore very important from our perspective.” The Daily Mile can contribute to this. In the Netherlands, more than 350 schools are officially registered, while in Belgium a quarter of all schools are already taking part. Sanne Stegen is Energy Lab’s European coordinator for The Daily Mile teams in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain. “In Belgium, a large number of schools started The Daily Mile in a very short time; initially, we called it One Mile A Day.”
Building blocks for exercise policy
Energy Lab is currently focusing mainly on building a community through social media. “In this way, we give schools a platform for exchanging experiences, but it is also a means for us, through The Daily Mile Belgium, to continue supporting and inspiring schools. We develop activations and challenges, organize events for schools and provide ambassadors.” Stegen says she has noticed that The Daily Mile can easily get a great deal moving: “It accelerates exercise policy in schools: it is such a simple concept—no preparation, no equipment—that schools adopt it very quickly, and it effectively draws along other building blocks of exercise policy.” The Daily Mile seems to have definitively established itself, in Belgium as well as in the Netherlands. Especially if future studies show that it genuinely has an effect. JOGG is certainly doing its part: there are plenty of great ideas. Such as the starter package designed to get schools enthusiastic and keep them motivated, featuring posters, information brochures, annual calendars and gadgets for the children.
Experiences with and effects of The Daily Mile
The Mulier Institute recently concluded that 81% of school leaders are now familiar with The Daily Mile and that almost all of them experience positive effects, such as a calmer classroom, improved learning, better concentration and increased fitness and health. Research into its effects is still in its infancy, but researcher Jorien Slot of the Mulier Institute says: “We are currently investigating whether children actually become fitter after running The Daily Mile for twelve weeks, and research is also being conducted in other countries, for example into the direct effects of The Daily Mile: do children actually concentrate better after The Daily Mile?”
This article by Leon Janssen Lok is based on a more extensive piece in the latest edition of the professional magazine Sport & Strategie. Would you like to read more about the success and potential of The Daily Mile? Order it now!
Photo: Wannes Nimmegeers