IkPas behind the scenes: in conversation with campaign coordinator Sanne de Koning

Sanne de Koning has fulfilled the role of campaign coordinator for five years now. A role that fits her like a coat. As a campaign coordinator, she is involved in creating company pages, guiding municipalities through the rollout process, answering the many emails with questions that flood our mailbox every day; well, what isn't she doing? Sanne herself tells about who, what, where, why, when and how.

You have been working on IkPas for five years: what keeps you connected to this initiative?

“When I was asked by campaign manager Martijn to edit some texts for the project in 2015, I noticed that I found the matter interesting. Alcohol is so self-evident in our society, when it really shouldn't be. Helping people, showing that things can be done differently: that is still close to my heart and I never get tired of it.”

What exactly do you do as a campaign coordinator?

“As a campaign coordinator, I make sure that the campaign can be implemented in a practical way. I am the link between, for example, the advertising agency, partners, the web builders and our own team, I make schedules and ensure that everyone can do their job.”

What do you like about your tasks?

“I have contact with our own national team as well as our partners throughout the Netherlands, but also with a lot of participants. So I know well what is going on, I sometimes have to switch quickly and come up with new things. Organizing and producing is in my blood, but I think it's fantastic that I can now do that to help people.”

What role does IkPas now play in the emerging health movement?

“What I read a lot in the feedback from our participants is that it makes you think, not just about alcohol consumption, but about everything related to your health. In that sense, IkPas is important for encouraging awareness of the choices you make, every day. Things that are obvious come under a magnifying glass and you get the chance to change your behavior, temporarily or permanently.”

What role will IkPas play in the future?

“Ideally you can 'fit' whenever you want in the future. Not only in terms of alcohol consumption, but also in terms of mobile phone use, sugar, meat… IkPas gives you the opportunity throughout the year to give you control over what you consume, instead of a substance controlling you. ”

Do you fit yourself?

“Yes, already 167 days!”

Why?

“I am a migraine sufferer myself and alcohol is known to be a huge migraine trigger. Could be, so not always, but that unpredictability made me decide to stop drinking alcohol altogether. Before that I also adapted every period, because I wanted to know what our participants are going through. I drank moderately (2 or 3 glasses a week), but I discovered that even with moderate intake you can get a lot out of not drinking for a month.”