Smart Choices For Healthy Lifestyle

CONTEXTSometimes young people make irresponsible choices that represent a menace to their lifestyle, sound development and reaching their full intellectual and physical potential. Lack of experience makes it difficult for them to discern between positive and negative information, being highly exposed to external influences at this age. Nowadays schools strive to provide an open educational space to prioritize quality educational activities for students’ wellbeing. Partner schools confront with students who refuse to attend PE classes, increasing number of overweight students, prevailing sedentary lifestyle caused by technology addiction, preference for unhealthy food. Our mission as educators is to prepare students for healthy adulthood and lifelong development process. We wish to teach our children healthy lifestyle habits and model their behaviour, help them maintain a balanced living pattern that will lead to normal growth and continue beyond into adulthood. Because of a growing tendency to disregard health aspects among students, 5 European schools, motivated by similar institutional needs, devised a project with concrete solutions to make young people more self-conscious of their health.OBJECTIVESThe general aim of “Smart Choices For Healthy Lifestyle” is to raise awareness on the importance of a healthy lifestyle among students in partner schools. Project set objectives:-to empower participants’ skills and knowledge so as to adopt a balanced healthy lifestyle and healthy habits;-to foster quality and multidimensional improvements in participants’ lifestyle-to create the space for participants to learn in a multicultural environment-to exchange good practices at the international level.-to develop intercultural awareness and sense of identityThe objectives are in line with selected priorities and reflect the topics of LTTAs: Active and attractive sports, Happier lifestyle tips, Healthy eating habits, Healthy body&mind harmony, Nature-based learning. We would like to increase students' degree of awareness regarding the necessity of adopting a healthy and active lifestyle; to form positive attitudes towards sports. We wish to make students turn to genuine natural landscapes as people are more and more disconnected from the earth and beauty of the natural world.PARTICIPANTSProject target group is made up of teachers and students who deal with issues related to unhealthy habits in their daily activity. Direct beneficiaries will be 150 participants (110 students, 40 teachers specialised in the subjects/areas in the project) to attend scheduled LTTAs. Students with fewer opportunities, disadvantaged backgrounds will be encouraged to join the project and make their voice heard. We estimate that about 500 students aged 11-15 will be part of the activities, 120 teachers and local participants (school management, staff, parents, schools’ collaboration partners, stakeholders, guest specialists). The language of communication in the project is English.ACTIVITIESTo achieve project objectives we designed a selection of local and international activities. Thus, participants will explore the connection between body, mind and nature to foster wellbeing. Outdoor activities will engage participants into the exploration of the surrounding nature and exercise through sports and games. All partners will organise short term exchanges for groups of students. The topics of the exchanges:C1. Active and attractive sports - 22 students, 8 teachersC2. Happier lifestyle tips - 22 students, 8 teachersC3. Healthy eating habits - 22 students, 8 teachersC4. Healthy body&mind harmony - 22 students, 8 teachersC5. Nature-based learning - 22 students, 8 teachersRESULTSOur 22 months’ cooperation will generate tangible and intangible results. The concrete project envisaged results are: project logo, advertising poster, website, brochures, booklet, videos, TwinSpace, quiz, competition, seminars, questionnaires, feedback forms.Intangible project results produced include upgraded knowledge, attitudes, experiences, soft and hard skills developed, transfer of good practice examples into a daily routine.IMPACTFor all participants in activities, the partnership will have resulted in various benefits. There will be a range of occasions to learn from each other, transfer positive aspects identified in foreign educational systems to their own schools, appreciate and respect European cultures, develop the sense of tolerance and introduce the European dimension in one’s own institution. Students’ active involvement in interactive activities will develop the ability to sum up the information, digital skills critical thinking ability, stimulate creativity, healthy habits by applying knowledge into practice, a strong sense of nature connectivity.For teachers it will provide the space for professional exchange of practices in the field of methodology and the schools will have higher international visibility.