“UniTrento On the Move” campaign launched

Give new motivation to get around on foot. Reward those who adopt a more active lifestyle.
With the “UniTrento On the Move” campaign, the University of Trento encourages the entire university community to walk, promotes movement in everyday life and free time, and aims to make it a healthy habit. The competition begins on March 23 and ends on June 21.

The Play&Go platform created by Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the project’s technological partner, will be used. This way, participants who join the challenge and register on the app will be able to track their walking activity. Each participant, in their respective category, will commit to completing their kilometers exclusively by walking.

“The role of sport in universities is not limited to organized or competitive activities; it also involves promoting awareness across the community that an active lifestyle is the best way to stay healthy and improve physical and mental well-being.  And this challenge—an entirely new initiative at the academic level in Italy—has the very objective of bringing the habit of movement into everyday life.  A habit that we hope, above all, our students will carry with them as part of the knowledge gained during their university journey. This prize competition, which uses engaging and fun gamification techniques, is also intended to motivate those who are less inclined to walk.”Paolo Bouquet, UniTrento President’s Delegate for Sport, commented.

The app created by Fondazione Bruno Kessler and already tested in other initiatives with the municipalities of Trento, Rovereto, Ferrara, and Lecco will therefore be used to track routes.

“We are particularly pleased to see the Play&Go platform, developed in our laboratories, being used again in the Trentino area after several years.  It is an important sign that highlights the research and innovation work carried out and demonstrates its concrete impact on the local community. The collaboration with UniTrento represents for us a strategic element that strengthens the synergies between research and the region and contributes to promoting positive initiatives for people’s well-being and sustainability,” said Annapaola Marconi, head of the Motivational Digital Systems (MoDiS) Unit of the Center for Digital Society at FBK.

How it works

The routes taken by the user are tracked by the Play&Go app. Every hundred meters walked will be assigned one point. Routes must start or end within 75 kilometers of the city of Trento. The minimum distance to be covered on foot is 200 meters.

The routes that are considered valid will allow participants to advance in their respective rankings.
There are four categories of UniTrento participants: students; lecturers; researchers, PhD students, interns; technical-administrative staff and language experts. Points earned will also count toward the final rankings.

During the challenge period, additional activities  may also be proposed, allowing you to earn extra points. The goal is to encourage improvement compared to previous weeks. For example, “Walk at least ten kilometers to earn 50 points” or “Walk at least two kilometers a day for three days this week to earn 50 points,” just to name a few.

To evaluate the experience and impact of the initiative, an initial and a final questionnaire will be offered. Completing them, on a voluntary and anonymous basis, allows participants to earn additional extra points.

The rankings will be visible in the app, with participants identified by their nicknames. There are prizes for top placements in each category and in the overall ranking. In addition, there is a special mention, “Improvement and Performance,” dedicated to those who record the greatest progress in terms of kilometers walked, also taking into account absolute performance, and the special mention “Participation and Consistency,” which goes to those who demonstrate greater continuity over time, considering both the number of days of participation and the average daily activity.

In addition to physical and mental well-being, there are prizes offered by the initiative’s partners, which are: Fiavet – Italian Federation of Travel and Tourism Business Associations, Municipal Pharmacies and Health Service, CMP, REDO Upcycling, Open Move, Loacker.

UniTrento press release