Tourcoing

Getting schoolchildren moving

This project is the fruit of a partnership between the College Pierre Mendès France and Decathlon employees. The project was approved by our Board of Directors in December 2022.The Collège Pierre Mendès in Tourcoing currently supports 384 schoolchildren from priority neighborhoods.

“The desire is to join forces with others to get young people moving, that’s what social innovation is all about, solving social problems. It’s also in line with Decathlon’s philosophy, which is to get people moving. The idea is not to give them the impression that they’re doing sport, but to get them moving in a fun way, so that they can join a sports club, and also to create links between them, after the covid, to make them want to create co-education, so that girls and boys play together and get together rather than just sitting around at playtime.”

Laurence Fischer

Decathlon’s social innovation leader and initiator of the project “Getting schoolchildren moving”

“Getting schoolchildren moving” project

The aim? To combat sedentary lifestyles among young people.

A number of topics are covered:

With a view to a health pathway (and in favor of health education): promote students’ well-being by contributing to the development of healthy lifestyle habits to combat sedentary and overweight lifestyles => “a healthy mind in a healthy body”.
For the future career path: develop a partnership with a teldesi brand.
As part of the citizenship program: promote the values of the Republic through sport (refereeing), respect for equipment and eco-responsibility.
From a sustainable development perspective: raise awareness but above all ACT for the planet and the cleanliness of the school by keeping the premises clean, collecting, sorting and managing waste + developing soft mobility.
With a view to inclusion and mixity : participation of all departments (ULIS, SEGPA, IMPRO) with a special mention for the SEGPA in the creation and maintenance of sports facilities (bike workshop, creation of parkour elements, etc.).

Active design

Active design is the means used in this project to combat the sedentary lifestyle of young people. The school is designed to promote accessibility, safety and mixed use in a pleasant, fun and attractive way. Physical activity is integrated into students’ daily lives, encouraging them to take the stairs, use soft mobility, etc. Active design raises awareness of sports culture, but above all encourages students to get moving.

Active design was conceived with schoolchildren in mind, and also helps to give meaning and concreteness to certain subjects.

Some examples of active design:

Math : using the torpedo ball to work on mental arithmetic
Sciences : work on energy expenditure: how long do you need to exercise to eliminate as many calories? + work on activity time and intensity
History/ French: creation of an escape game, creation of an ancient J.O, creation of a Quidditch simulation
Kitchen workshop: work on food hygiene using the example of infused, flavored and sugar-free water (with the occasional help of a dietician)

The aim of this project is to go beyond the college and benefit the Tourcoing educational district, as well as bringing in pupils from neighboring schools to benefit from active design.

Decathlon employees involved in this project support the school and the youngsters by donating sports equipment, testing equipment and working on innovation projects with the youngsters, but also by helping them to find their professional bearings: store visits, presentations on sports professions, bike repair courses, etc.