Healthy Life Erasmus Project

Project Title

Healthy 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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Cooperation between educational institutions and business; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Healthy Life is a project made by teachers from the Netherlands, Turkey, Spain and Italy and is based on these four main aims: increasing awareness about healthy living, promoting healthy eating, promoting exercise for physical and mental health and increasing awareness on aspects of mental health and ways to improve mental health.
The WHO researched that in 2016, globally, over one in six adolescents aged 10–19 years was overweight. Only 1 in 5 adolescents are estimated to meet the required 60 minutes of psychical exercise per day. According to the WHO depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents, and suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents.
As teachers we can see the significant changes in the health of our pupils. Eating habits are heavily influenced by today’s popular fastfood culture, at the same time we see that the pupils motivation for physical activities is decreasing. Furthermore we see an increasing demand to help our pupils to prevent and/or cope with psychological stress, depression and anxiety. Promoting healthy behaviours during adolescence, and taking steps to better protect young people from health risks are critical for the development of our pupils and the prevention of health problems in adulthood. Getting youth aware of their health and getting them involved in aspects of healthy living is an important aspect in the development of our pupils. In our schools we encounter more and more problems with child obesity and mental health problems like anxiety and depression leading to early school leaving.

Next to these objectives we want to promote social inclusion and the development of intercultural competences. Through an international project pupils get a chance to cooperate with peers from other European countries and different backgrounds and together explore each others culture and habits. These experiences help pupils to not only enhance linguistic skills but also acquire skills like self reflection, independence, self confidence and problemsolving skills. With the growing diversity of pupils we notice that social values and norms have to be mediated anew. To prevent early school leaving and to make sure ourpupils are prepared for our changing society it is very important to address cultural diversity and social inclusion.

The project is not only relevant for our pupils but also for us as teachers. It will contribute to teachers’ professional development by acquiring various teaching methods of health education for both theoretical and practical skills but also organizational skills and establishing collaborations with companies and organizations in the region of the school.

Within the project assignments and activities are planned based on promoting conscious consumption, researching the way fruits and vegetable are produced and the place of vegetables and fruits in healthy nutrition. We will be working together in international groups to cook international recipes using knowledge on healthy choices and gain a life skill for the future by making, tasting and experimenting with different recipes. Next to preparing the food they will be tasked with using food to create an aesthetic image, table preparation and, preparing and presenting information about eating manners. These activities will enhance intercultural competence and will benefit social inclusion by getting to know the cuisine and eating habits of each others country. A wide variety of psychical activities through PE lessons and taster classes for new sports and workshops to explore their interests and skills in the field of art and culture will be organised. On the topic of mental health we will organise special trainings like breathing and yoga, lectures, workshops to reflect on the social aspects of health and the role that schools can play in this. Teachers will design and use of Fit Teacher Cards to be used during coffee breaks and teacher meetings in the school, to increase awareness on healthy living for teachers.
The prospected results of the project are: awareness campaigns and information material created by the pupils, designed Fit Teachers Cards to be used by teachers in the schools, developed assignments for teaching health education. The results of the project will be summarized in a Healthy living handbook that will help teachers with teaching about health.

We have planned 5 LTTA’s, starting with a Short-term joint staff training. We will explore the topic Healthy Life trough workshops about food, excercise and mental health. We will orientate on assignments, work on creating the Fit Teacher Cards and design a way to test pupils general knowledge and attitude before and after the project. All 4 countries host a LTTA. We have designed a basic framework for all planned exchanges with pupils. LTTA’s will include social activities, cultural activities and thematic activities. Each country has chosen a specific thematic focus for their LTTA.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 123184 Eur

Project Coordinator

Lentiz VMBO Maasland & Country: NL

Project Partners

• IES MANUEL DE FALLA
• Vali Erol Çakir Anadolu Lisesi
• Liceo Scientifico Statale Democrito