Developing healthy and creative citizens. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Developing healthy and creative citizens.

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 : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Health and wellbeing; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The last 20 years have seen a huge shift in the way society communicates and interacts and much of this change is proving to have a negative impact on current and future generations. Children are making unhealthy lifestyle choices due to a lack of information and intervention from parents and mentors. Children aged 5 to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen compared with around three hours in 1995, according to research studies. Teenaged boys spend the longest, with an average of eight hours. Eight-year-old girls spend the least – three-and-a-half hours, according to the study. Screen time is made up of time spent watching TV, playing games consoles, using a mobile, computer or tablet. Health issues notwithstanding, spending a quarter of the day online raises many internet safety concerns as well – cyberbullying, inappropriate content, sexploitation, fraud etc.

Our profession now demands that we support parenting to address these issues and thus we need to develop professional classroom strategies to effect change. Our project intends to do this by introducing and refining a series of six activities that support pupils in key areas of their health and well-being. Pupils will take part in activities that positively promote: physical health, mental well-being, healthy diet, entrepreneurship, online safety and improved classroom behaviour. Each country will be responsible for an activity by creating protocols and resources for use by the other partners. These activities have been matched to the strengths and experience of each countries’ participating teachers so that a network of pedagogical support is readily available.

We envisage that the impact of the proposed activities will be an improvement in pupils’ mental and emotional well-being by developing confidence, resilience and empathy. A securer, healthy future as pupils are able to apply knowledge about the impact of diet and exercise on physical and mental health in their daily lives. Healthier individuals who regularly take part in physical exercise and make measured decisions about their lifestyle and risk taking. They should also have an improved mental state and have the skills and knowledge to manage everyday life as independently as they can and are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society, confidently and appropriately interacting with their peers in person and via digital technologies.

The six schools involved are broad in their make-up and have varied experiences to contribute to the project. We are also proud that our project will involve the direct participation of approximately 1500 pupils of which 15% can be described as pupils with ‘fewer opportunities’ in one respect or another. This will inevitably increase with cascading and our close relationships with teacher training institutions. There is a healthy mix of new and seasoned participants which will prove invaluable to managing / making progress.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 95475 Eur

Project Coordinator

Pontlliw Primary School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Ecole fondamentale libre saint Joseph
• Institut Notre-Dame des Hayeffes
• Schule im Erlich, Schule mit dem FSP Lernen (Förderschule),
• Colegio Sagrada Familia
• Private Volksschule der Schulstiftung der Erzdiözese Wien