The project ‘Healthy body, healthy mind’ was designed to respond to a series of problems observed among young people today. Malnutrition and the lack of physical activity have been shown to undoubtedly have a negative impact on teenagers’ physical and mental condition. Furthermore, these factors lead to the so called diseases of civilization, which hinder teenagers’ everyday life and generate social costs due to the required treatment. It has been shown that some teenagers avoid physical activity. This fact reduces their body endurance and causes concentration problems, which impede their academic success and have a negative effect on their future careers. Low self-esteem, anxiety and depression lead to poor social skills and socializing problems, which may result in teenagers’ withdrawal from social life. Additionally, more and more teachers observe other worrying behaviour problems among young people, such as the lack of openness, empathy, collaboration skills and not respecting cultural heritage, which have a negative impact on their proper functioning in society. The following problems have also been observed in other European schools. That’s why, 4 partner schools decided to join the project to gain an insight into the issue, using the resources, tools, methods that each of them possesses. In addition, the different geography and traditions of the participating countries, as well as their different knowledge regarding healthy eating and physical activity, will allow them to contribute to the project in different ways. This two-year project, ‘Healthy body, healthy mind’, will involve the whole school community of the partner schools including students aged 14-19, their parents, teachers, counsellors as well as local communities. The students participating in the project come from different cultures and communities characterised by different socio-economic status and educational opportunities. Thus, the project aims especially to involve students with fewer educational opportunities and those especially affected by the problems the project tackles. The main objective of the project is to make participants aware of the importance and benefits of healthy eating and physical activity as well as to implement changes in their eating habits and lifestyles which, as a result, will positively affect their health, wellbeing and how they perceive themselves and how they perceive others. Joint implementation of activities and dissemination of the project results will teach the participants cooperation, openness and empathy. The teachers involved in the project will increase their knowledge of psychology and teaching methodology and will broaden their personal and professional competences. Another aim of the project will be to create teaching materials such as lesson scenarios and a prevention education programme to be used in the schools now and in the future. The project implies involving participants in innovative activation initiatives such as mini projects in international teams, physical activities, workshops, debates and dramas that will be scheduled during the school year in each partner school and during the students’ mobilities. The main events in the project schedule will be 4 thematic weeks carried out simultaneously in each school: International Healthy Eating Week, International Physical Activity Week, International Wellbeing Week, and International Regional Cultures Week. The participants will also be involved in four student mobilities and a teacher training mobility. Taking part in the project will enable students to learn about healthy eating and physical activity and, consequently, will positively influence their health and personal development. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about different cultures, traditions and languages thanks to their cooperating in international teams. Furthermore, taking part in different project tasks will contribute to the development of their personal skills such as cooperation, responsibility, openness and will boost their self-confidence. Throughout the project, teachers will be involved in the cooperation within four international groups: health, physical activity, wellbeing and national heritage in order to share experiences and their best practices. All the resources resulting from this cooperation will contribute to teacher professional development and to the enrichment of the schools’ didactic resource base. All the project participants will broaden their knowledge of the culture and traditions of the partner schools, thus fostering international awareness and European citizenship. International cooperation activities will also improve the participants’ linguistic competence. The project will contribute to the long-term development of the schools, as they will benefit from the resources and methods developed in the long run. In addition, dissemination of the project results will allow local schools to take advantage of it.
The project "Healthy body, healthy mind" was a response to problems observed among young people such as malnutrition and the lack of physical activity, and the negative impact they have on teenagers’ physical and mental condition, contributing to their lower self-esteem, anxiety and depression. The aim of the project was to increase students' knowledge about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity; to change their eating habits and lifestyle, which was to have a positive impact on their health, well-being, self-perception and perception by others. The project involved schools from Poland, Spain, Portugal and Romania. The project dealt with four factors that have a significant impact on the proper functioning of young people in the face of the challenges of adolescence. Each partner school coordinated the implementation of the tasks which best corresponded to its resources, tools, infrastructure, geographical conditions, characteristics of the school and local environment. In the project lasting 3 years (the project was extended due to the pandemic) the entire communities of partner schools took part, including students (14-19 years old), parents, teachers and local communities. The students participating in the project came from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The project involved a group of students with fewer opportunities and those who were particularly affected by the problems covered by the project (approx. 25 students from Spain, 15 from Romania, 8 from Poland and 1 from Portugal). In total, 70 students from 4 partner schools participated in student mobilities. About 130 other participants (students, teachers, parents, representatives of local institutions) were involved in different tasks during four mobilities. During the project 5 mobilities took place. The first mobility was held in Spain. It was a training meeting of coordinators from all partner schools. During the mobility, coordinators participated in workshops on healthy Mediterranean diet and on eTwinning tools. The first student mobility entitled "I like myself the way I am" took place in a Romanian school. The activities carried out during the mobility focused on the topic of mental health and ways of taking care of it. The second student mobility "Sport and our health" was held in Portugal. The aim of the partnership meeting was promoting active ways of spending free time and making participants aware of the impact of an active lifestyle on their health and well-being. The third student mobility "I am what I eat" took place in a Spanish school. The activities carried out allowed the participants to deepen their knowledge on healthy diet and learn about the impact of proper nutrition on well-being. The last partner visit was organized in Poland. The aim of the mobility entitled "We are Europe" was to build a sense of belonging by promoting local patriotism and European identity. The project involved participants in many innovative activation initiatives such as mini projects in international groups, physical activities and workshops. The main events in the project schedule were 4 thematic weeks carried out simultaneously in each school: International Healthy Eating Week, International Physical Activity Week, International Wellbeing Week, and International Regional Cultures Week. The project was promoted in the schools and in local communities by publishing its results in social media, on websites, on eTwinning and in local media (press, television). Taking part in the project enabled students to learn about healthy eating and physical activity and, consequently, positively influenced their health and personal development. Participating in different project tasks taught participants cooperation, responsibility, openness to other people and increased their self-esteem. Sports activity carried out strengthened their bodies and taught them to appreciate healthy competition. Thanks to the project, the teachers exchanged experiences and good practices. The teaching materials they developed (e.g. preventive and educational program, brochures) and work methods will contribute to the development of the schools in the long run. All participants expanded their knowledge of the traditions and culture of each country and learned to appreciate their own and others' cultural heritage. They have become more conscious Europeans. Activities in international groups allowed them to develop their ability to communicate in a foreign language.