{ MMRC IMPACT REPORT }

 

 

Dr. Nicola Eccles,Research Lead, Associate Principal Lecturer in Health and Physical Activity at Leeds Trinity University has released the Mini Mermaid Running Club UK Impact Report. We are proud to see the findings that emerged from her research.

 

Qualitative research was carried out between January 2016 and July 2016. Data from this research clearly demonstrated that MMRC UK is a transparent and responsive program which produces a unique experience for girls. There were a number of key findings from the research:

 

1. From a physical perspective, there was a marked difference observed in girls’ physical endurance and physical self-efficacy. Crucially, MMRC UK gives girls a platform to be heard and from this, a core theme emerging from the research is the way the program gives girls ‘tools’ to get to know themselves better. 

 

2. There was also an apparent shift in girls’ self-belief, particularly around the ability to understand goal-setting and what it meant to set a goal, work for it, and then achieve it.

 

3. One central factor in girls’ lives is their unique attachment to one another. MMRC UK addresses the challenges girls face on a daily basis around peer relations and teaches them how to negotiate and understand one another.  This is perhaps one of the most valuable assets of MMRC UK - supplying girls with the tools they need to manage friendship politics.

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Increased physical activity is an obvious part of the MMRC UK program, but the integral part of the program is based around helping girls to find an authentic voice, and to negotiate the contemporary world through increased self-confidence and self-belief.

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The conclusion of the research is that MMRC UK is a unique and valuable asset for schools with an effective curriculum.