Innovation Manager at Les Mills International, Jo Perkins, heads to Cambodia

First thing is first, tell us about the relationship between Les Mills and UNICEF?  

In 2017, UNICEF Aotearoa were looking at launching a program called Kid Power. What followed was lots of discussions regarding how Les Mills could get involved with that. It transpired that the Kid Power programme itself wasn’t particularly scalable in NZ, but with the relationship firmly in place now bigger discussions started happening and it was agreed that there was an opportunity to get the global Les Mills community participating in some kind of fundraising initiative.

That’s when Workout for Water was born, a way to engage instructors and gym goers to participate in special workouts and raise money at the same time. Since the first activation in 2017 a further two Workout for Water events have been run (2019 and 2024) and there’s definite enthusiasm to do it again, bigger and better. UNICEF are also now our humanitarian partner of choice when it comes to providing support and donations during emergencies. So, I suppose you could say, this relationship is going very well. 

How did the trip to Cambodia come about?

Diana Archer Mills and Jackie Mills have been discussing further opportunities to work with and support UNICEF and due to other travel and commitments, neither Jackie nor Diana were able to make it. Through those conversations LMI kindly decided to send me on the field visit on their behalf. 

Whilst Les Mills hasn’t directly supported the work UNICEF are doing in Cambodia, with our latest Workout for Water event the money raised was marked as ‘Regular Resources’ (RR) or flexible funding. This means that the money is available to be used flexibly wherever the need is greatest and allocated to projects and programmes including Cambodia.

What I saw in Cambodia was the use of RR, delivering vital care and support to people in need… so although we did not fund this country specifically; the connection was clear. 

Tell us about the Kid Power programme, how it's being implemented and what the impact has been? 

Kid Power is a programme originally set up and run by UNICEF USA, now being managed and run by Classroom Champions - it encourages kids in the US to be physically active through various methods, including the use of Les Mills’ BORN TO MOVE programme.

The programme is run through schools, so when students participate in these activities, they unlock ‘Kid Power Points’, which convert into funding for the distribution of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to severely malnourished children around the world.

Since 2018, we have been regularly supplying BORN TO MOVE videos to UNICEF USA and now Classroom Champions for Kid Power. In that time, enough funding has been unlocked thanks to BORN TO MOVE for almost 400 children to have received enough RUTF’s to save their lives. 

What's it like to see the positive impact of the Les Mills & UNICEF partnership in child health and wellbeing? 

My biggest takeaway from the trip to Cambodia was seeing the ‘ambulance at the top of the cliff’ working…the impact of being proactive is so much greater than being reactive, because getting to things before they become big issues is surely cheaper and easier than trying to resolve or fix problems. In turn, more people can benefit because resources will stretch further in a proactive environment. That’s the best return on investment. 

What would your advice be to Kiwi businesses who want to start their corporate social responsibility journey in a way that is authentic and ethical? 

Be real. What’s important and makes sense to you and your business? Avoid the buzzwords if they don’t fit right with you. We’ve used terms like CSR, ‘being green’, and ESG, but we’ve started moving away from them and simply referring to our impact. Impact is a powerful word and can be used in all manner of ways.

Les Mills’ mission is to create a fitter planet – which means making a positive impact on the world is part of our DNA. In my opinion, every business should be looking beyond itself, beyond the next quarterly report…no matter the business you’re in, there are opportunities to be and do better.

I think my biggest advice is to not get caught up in ideas and theoretics…just start doing stuff. We’ve been volunteering, planting [a couple million] trees, getting kids moving, raising [a few million] dollars for UNICEF, and much more for years, and we’ve only just now got a strategy in place around the impact we want to have. Just start, ensure resource and keep going. 

Can you share an unforgettable memory made on this trip that impacted you personally? 

Waiting at the Daun Keo Health Centre, I got to see people waiting for care, just like I would at a doctor’s clinic here in Aotearoa. I got to see kids being kids (no matter where you are in the world - 5-year-olds are pretty similar, cute and funny, shy and excited to see you all at the same time - and I got to see health care professionals being some of the most extraordinary humans in society.

The location and conditions were different to what we’d see in New Zealand, but they were delivering vital service to an entire community. One of the women in charge I got to meet was just the kindest person, you could see it in her eyes and smile. I asked how long she had worked there, and she said 30 years! Imagine how many lives have been improved and even saved because of that one woman’s dedication!

If we as a business and as individuals can support UNICEF, who ultimately support people like that wonderful woman being able to do their jobs, then it’s hard to imagine what could be better. 

If you are a New Zealand-based business or corporate enterprise interested in starting or furthering your Corporate Social Responsibility goals, check out everything you need to know about becoming a corporate partner of UNICEF Aotearoa at the link below.