Celebrations and conversations about relationships and sexuality
So it was a celebration in Voorburg, and that was clear to see: the school organised a love-themed cake-baking competition, there was an oyster bar, and the winning poem from the Valentine's Day poetry competition was recited. The minister spoke with students about relationships and sexuality. “How can a school create a safe school climate around relationships and sexuality?” he asked them. “And how do you become aware of your personal boundaries?” The students talked about the role of social media and how they can turn to the school's confidential counsellor or a mentor. They also said that they discuss these issues among themselves, partly in response to all the media attention surrounding inappropriate behaviour.
“Being able to talk openly about this subject is incredibly important. It is good to discover your own wishes and boundaries and to develop greater respect for differences between people when it comes to love and relationships. It is clear that the students experience the school as a safe environment in which to talk about sexuality. A well-deserved Healthy School,” the minister concluded.
Ambitions
Iben Maas, chair of LAKS and a student at Novum, unveiled the theme certificate together with the minister. Minister Wiersma asked Iris Kummeling, Healthy School programme manager, about the Healthy School programme's ambitions and which health themes schools can choose from when they start working with the Healthy School approach. She explained that Healthy School encourages and facilitates every school in the Netherlands to work on a healthy lifestyle. She also explained that, in addition to the Relationships and Sexuality theme, there are other themes that a school can choose from, such as Well-being or Nutrition. Iris Kummeling said: “We believe and know that students who feel good about themselves ultimately achieve better learning outcomes.”