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When the going gets tough, Nike gets going

“Our ultimate goal is to help kids make sport a daily habit for a lifetime, and I think that starts by reframing the discussion so that you don’t do sports, you play sports”

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The numbers speak for themselves: only 1 in 5 children do the physical activity they need, while 70% of children give up their sport by the age of 13. In particular, it is the girls who abandon it in double percentages, most of them for cultural reasons.

Parallel to this, the impact (in positive) that playing and movement, therefore sport, have on children is well known.

How can we encourage children to “keep playing”? Simple, putting them first, engaging in a different way towards children and parents with the aim of celebrating the love for the movement to pass it on from generation to generation.

 
 
 
 
 
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Promoting this new "Kids-first" plan are 4 Nike leaders, Cal Dowers, Caitlin Morris, Whitney Pinfold and Kevin Dodson, who tell us about the project by bringing to the table the daily and sincere needs of children and parents, as Whitney explains:

"We look at solving problems that are kid-centric too, and at removing barriers to play. We’re not sizing down adult innovations, we’re listening to what kids say they need. What’s going to make them more comfortable, both physically and emotionally? What’s going to get them into their clothes faster, their shoes faster, so that they can get up and play faster?"

 Inclusive and sustainable products: inclusive in terms of sizing, culture and prices, while regarding sustainability, Nike uses recycled waste materials whenever possible, creating equally resistant and performing garments.

It is the parents who transmit the love for playing and sport to their children, becoming their first coaches and companions:

"We committed to a kids-first mindset, from the products we make to how we communicate to how we act as a resource for parents. The point is to spark the joy of play for and with the next generationsays in fact Cal Dowers.

 

 

 

Image Credits: Nike Press Office, cover photo by Taylor Smith on Unsplash