Annual program, for grade 3 learners and their educators, provides fun and creative tools for leading a healthy and active lifestyle, using Disney characters and stories as inspiration
Program has reached over 200 000 learners since 2016
The Walt Disney Company Africa, together with long-time sports development partner Sporting Chance Foundation, celebrates a milestone in the 10 years of the Disney Healthy Happy Play program– reaching over 200 000 learners across South Africa.
Launched in 2016, Disney Healthy Happy Play was developed and is presented in partnership with the Sporting Chance Foundation. The annual program empowers under-resourced schools to embed physical education into their curriculums by providing fun and creative tools for educators and students using Disney characters and stories as inspiration for leading a healthy and active lifestyle.
Since its inception, the program has reached 230 000 learners with teaching sessions across multiple provinces and up to 50 schools each year.
“At Disney supporting the happiness and wellbeing of children is part of our social purpose, and we believe our brands, stories and characters are uniquely suited to partner with parents and caregivers to inspire families to make healthier choices and to make healthy living simple and fun,” comments Christine Service, General Manager DTC and Media Networks & General Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa. “For an incredible 10 years, our storytelling has been utilised to bring important physical and nutritional education to learners, all inspired by Sporting Chance’s mission to inspire South African children to develop a lifelong passion for exercise and sport.”
Ongoing research in South Africa highlights the urgent need for structured physical activity in schools. The recent Healthy Active Kids Report Card provides a critical backdrop for the Disney Healthy Happy Play programme, noting that the country faces a growing inactivity epidemic. The program directly addresses this challenge by combining health education, active play installations, and long-term sustainability support for schools across the country.
Disney Healthy Happy Play is aimed at grade 3 learners and their educators and consists of 3 components:
- An Edu Module, brought to life with iconic characters focusing on the importance of physical activity, how to participate in sport and play, and their subsequent positive effects. Included in the module is a focus on balanced eating and nutrition.
- Installation of the Disney Healthy Happy Play active play area which is a painted one hundred square-metre activity circuit that provides a valuable piece of indestructible equipment, empowering learner and educators for Physical Education sessions and assessments.
- Music-filled, fun morning assemblies at the various schools, in which the importance of physical activity is communicated in a lively and entertaining format to teachers and learners.
Sporting Chance’s prime objective is to provide opportunities for sporting achievement for as many children as possible – irrespective of race, gender or social class – by offering professional coaching within all community sectors.
“The Disney Happy Healthy Play programme supports under-resourced schools to advance their Physical Education practices by providing them with training and equipment and, most importantly, by monitoring their progress and providing mentorship,” says Natalie Pollock, General Manager of Sporting Chance Foundation. “We are proud to have reached this milestone in our collaboration with Disney Africa, whose exciting and imaginative content brings the program, its engagement and interactivity to life.”
To date, the Disney Healthy Happy Play programme has achieved remarkable milestones:
- 50 under-resourced schools engaged across 5 provinces per year
- 230 000+ learners reached
- Hundreds of educators empowered and upskilled
- Hundreds of Disney Healthy Happy Play activations in Grade 3 classrooms
- 50 active play areas installed or refurbished, benefiting over 40,000 learners annually
- Full-time employment for 3 coaches and contractual employment for up to 20 coaches
As the 10th annual iteration continues, Disney Healthy Happy Play’s mission remains clear: to inspire children and families, create active learning environments, and encourage lifelong healthy habits through sport and play.
Disney EMEA’s Social Purpose
At The Walt Disney Company, we are committed to supporting the happiness and wellbeing of children. The partnership with Sporting Chance is an example of how our brands, stories and characters are uniquely suited to partner with parents and caregivers to make a difference to children’s lives. For more information on our programmes and our long-standing charitable partnerships visit www.thewaltdisneycompany.eu
About The Walt Disney Company EMEA
The Walt Disney Company has been in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for over 90 years and employs thousands across the region. Between Disneyland Paris and its other iconic brands, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, 20th Century Studios and ESPN, The Walt Disney Company EMEA entertains, informs and inspires millions of consumers in more than 130 countries through the power of unparalleled storytelling. Disney+, the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, is currently available in 85 markets across EMEA.
About Sporting Chance
Sporting Chance’s prime objective is to provide opportunities for sporting achievement for as many children as possible – irrespective of race, gender or social class – by offering professional coaching within all community sectors. Based on the knowledge that the foundation for sporting ability is laid during the formative years, Sporting Chance advocates and implements various programmes for coaching school-age children. Sporting Chance’s philosophy is to get children off the streets, or away from their computer games and TV’s and instill in them, a love of sport. With disciplined, structured coaching that strikes a balance between sports, academics, and “play”, Sporting Chance has developed some of South Africa’s most promising sportspeople.
