Together with a large number of fellow Healthy School Coordinators (the driving forces behind the Healthy School plans), I will be going to Iceland from Sunday 22 to Friday 27 September! A country that is at the forefront when it comes to a healthy lifestyle for young people.
Taking part in this trip is a unique opportunity to see with my own eyes how health and well-being are organised in Icelandic education. It offers the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in order to further professionalise our school's approach to health. But certainly also to build a broad knowledge network.
From our hotel in Reykjavik, we will visit health authorities, government institutions, municipalities and schools. I am therefore very curious about the Icelandic approach: how did the parties involved make this happen? How do they ensure that it remains this way? What are the crucial points in their action plan, both in the schools and beyond?
In short: I am incredibly excited about it!
Vechtdal College Hardenberg
Vechtdal College has been a Healthy School since 2018. With the Healthy School quality mark, Vechtdal College Hardenberg demonstrates that the school meets the quality criteria for the Nutrition theme certificate, drawn up by experts. These criteria include teaching about healthy nutrition, tackling health problems together with the municipal health service, and ensuring a healthy school environment, such as making our school and school grounds smoke-free*. We are currently applying for the themes Well-being, Indoor Environment, Smoking, Alcohol and Drug Prevention, and Sports and Exercise.
The Golden Scale
The Healthy School Canteen is an important part of the Healthy School approach.
This year, our Healthy School Canteen Team received the Golden Healthy School Canteen Scale for the fifth consecutive time (see photo; I am the one wearing jeans). Very proud!
Vechtpark Hardenberg
One of the schools we will visit is Hamraskóli: ‘Each school year had its goal, with the bigger picture (Health&wellbeing) in mind. All the teachers are supposed to plan a lesson that involves some movement. The staff goes in a walkingtrips, sometimes to a mountain and sometimes in the neighbourhood.’
A weekly walk around Vechtpark by our teachers with the pupils?
I can already picture it ;-)