Media attention

The CBS study received a great deal of media attention. For example, RTL Nieuws devoted a segment to it in its 7:30 p.m. broadcast. Vincent Busch, a researcher at the Amsterdam Public Health Service, GGD Amsterdam, was among those interviewed. He spoke, among other things, about the influence of sleep deprivation on mood and the ability to concentrate at school.

New! Charge Your Brainzzz – the new way to address the theme of ‘Sleep’ in secondary education

For secondary schools and their GSAs that want to promote healthy sleep, a good new intervention is available, along with the possibility of implementing it with support. The new Charge Your Brainzzz approach is a broad intervention developed together with teenagers, parents, teachers, sleep experts and GGD organisations. It focuses on the 3 S’s: sleep, stress & screen use.

What does Charge Your Brainzzz offer?

  • Teaching materials designed for the first year of secondary school, consisting of 4 interactive lessons including videos, challenges and quizzes for use during mentor lessons.
  • Interactive parent evening with valuable insights and practical tips about sleep, stress and screen use, supported by videos and useful tools.
  • E-magazine & Slaapwijzzzer for parents
  • Practical step-by-step plan for schools for a healthy school policy, including valuable tips such as adjusting communication times via school apps and scheduling tests at a different time.
  • Support tool for the care coordinator that helps identify sleep deprivation and map out its causes together with the student.

Pilot: Charge Your Brainzzz is looking for vmbo schools that will get to work on the theme of Sleep and want to pioneer the new approach!

The new Charge Your Brainzzz approach will be launched on 30 November, after which schools can get started with this great programme. There is still sufficient capacity to support several schools that want to work on the theme of ‘Sleep’ from early 2024 (January through early May).

What does Charge Your Brainzzz require from participating schools? (implementation takes approximately 4 weeks)

  • Implementation of the teaching package (4 lessons) in the first year of secondary school (schools must offer a vmbo track).
  • First-year students (vmbo) complete a short questionnaire before and after the pilot (maximum 10 minutes).
  • Invite the parents/carers of their first-year students to attend the Charge Your Brainzzz parent evening.
  • Discuss the tips for the Policy pillar with us and, if applicable, together with their GSA.
  • Have a brief follow-up conversation with the teacher/school leader about their experience with the approach.

For schools participating now: free materials and support from the Charge Your Brainzzz development team!

Schools that get started with Charge Your Brainzzz between January and early May 2024 will receive free support from the Charge Your Brainzzz development team. This can provide important support for this relatively new but important topic. In addition, the teaching materials will be provided free of charge for these first participating schools, and the parent evening will be available free of charge, including guest speakers.

GSAs that have a school that would like to use this approach in 2024, with additional support and a free parent evening, can contact Danique Heemskerk: [email protected]

Opening photo caption: Vincent Busch is interviewed by RTL Nieuws.