The 5 ways to wellbeing – bringing a healthy balance to life Erasmus Project

Project Title

The 5 ways to wellbeing – bringing a healthy balance to life

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Health and wellbeing; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

We face many new and very real challenges in this rapidly developing world. Over recent years, these challenges have, in the worst cases, led to the decline of personal wellbeing in the children we work with. The World Health Organisation states that high levels of adversity and stress during early childhood are known to disrupt brain architecture, affect other organ systems, and lead to stress-management systems that establish relatively lower thresholds for immune responses that persist throughout life, thereby increasing the risk of stress-related disease and cognitive impairment well into the adult years.

The support systems across Europe cannot meet the huge demands so education systems and schools in each country are having to respond. Many different strategies are employed to support the development of wellbeing in children and the project aims to share these across the participating schools.

This project is about wellbeing and the importance of recognising what can make us happy. It will look at the many different way across Europe in which we strive for happiness in our school and in our everyday lives. Happy children learn, happy children form relationships and happy children grow. Our project centres around the 5 ways to wellbeing, which are simple things that we can all do to improve our emotional health and wellbeing.

The 5 ways to wellbeing are:
Connect – forming relationships
Give – be nice, kind and grateful
Be active – moving for a purpose
Take Notice – be mindful, curious and aware
Keep Learning – do something new

The 5 ways to wellbeing will help young people make the most of opportunities and deal with stressful situations by taking time out and learning how to cope when things get tough increase their interpersonal skills, empathy and communication skills through giving and seeing themselves as part of the wider community, increase their chances of employability and self-worth by taking notice of what they are good at and what they have to offer others.

Our project will seek to understand how host countries deliver traditional and modern lessons and look to categorise them under the headings of the 5 ways to wellbeing in order to create a toolkit of ideas, resources and activities to be used by teachers beyond the project’s end.

Activities will cover a vast range of experiences and opportunities including: massage, mindfulness, yoga, preparing and sharing food, traditional craft, dance, music, interaction with wildlife and the environment, all underpinned by the connections that come with travelling to different countries and the opportunities for collaboration.

Lessons will give opportunities to understand social and technological pressures from around Europe, how people deal with them and how these differ from our own. By framing our outlook and focus on the 5 ways of wellbeing, we aim to cover a broad spectrum of positive ways to manage our busy lifestyles.

The connections that come through the project should be lasting and deep and truly leave a legacy that starts children on the path to a healthy life. Children and teachers will then have the experiential grounding and can share this with the staff and students who did not take part in the mobility.

Pupils will have learned about the 5 ways to wellbeing (connecting, giving, taking notice, keep learning and being active) and a number of strategies to find a better balance to life. Pupils will also develop an understanding of how local communities engage with rural and urban areas. Additional benefits is the opportunity to immerse themselves in UK life. Spending time in Watford will provide opportunities to experience typical UK culture, whilst spending time in London will provide opportunity to visit some of the most iconic landmarks in Europe. These everyday experiences will truly give participants the opportunity to compare and contrast what it is like to live in the UK. Many of the experiences will also provide opportunities to share culture and traditions as well as strategies to develop wellbeing shared with communities back at home.

As a result of the work undertaken during the project, we will jointly create an Electronic Activity Pack (EAP). These will contain activity suggestions, resources and exemplified planning for each setting that can be used as a resource to support future groups working on the subject of wellbeing and mental health. It is imperative that the strategies are developed and shared with professionals and communities beyond the project’s end.

Participants will be made up from a mixture of pupils, teachers and support staff at the different schools. Pupils attending the trips will represent the full age and ability ranges within the schools. These pupils will be selected in a variety of ways – some through task, some through membership of specific groups such as a language teaching group, some through parental support of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 196880 Eur

Project Coordinator

Inclusive Multi Academy Trust – Laurance Haines School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Klaipedos Prano Masioto progimnazija
• Liceul Teoretic MIkes Kelemen
• Istituto Comprensivo Nichelino IV
• Pécsi Belvárosi Általános Iskola
• Asociación Centros Riojanos Educativos