We wanted to develop a concept for our school to make everyday life of students and teachers more health-promoting in a holistic dimension according to the WHO definition (Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity). The aim was to enable the target group to deal more consciously with their health both in class and during breaks and in the private field and to find ways to shape their everyday lives with more exercise, healthier nutrition and relaxation and rest phases in the sense of a physically and psychologically sustainable way of life. In exchange with other schools and experts, we wanted to learn from their experience and adopt their best practice for our school. Additionally, we wanted to improve the English skills of our teachers in order to prepare them for future international exchanges.
We have noticed that physical and mental illnesses among students and teachers have increased in recent years. Many people often have little time to eat, spend a lot of the day sitting at the computer or in the classroom. Stress and demands have increased at school, but also in private areas. Eating disorders, burnout and other mental illnesses are often the reason for absences at school. With this project we wanted to find opportunities for more physical exercise, healthier nutrition, stress management and an improvement of the working atmosphere at our school. Even before applying for this project, a workgroup system called "Mental Health" was set up in our region, in which schools, health and youth welfare offices together with psychologists set up a network to offer assistance and take preventive action. Our aim was to link our project to this group. Through shadowing and surveys at schools in other European countries, we wanted to find out how these schools prevent and solve health questions. In addition, participation in further training courses should lead to an improvement of one's own competencies in this area and expanding possibilities for action.