Youth | hearts at school

 A program for school-aged students

  • A healthy-living conference or fair designed for school-aged students
  • Provides students with the skills necessary to make healthy lifestyle choices
  • Engages the community, School Boards, and Parks & Recreation in the presentation and development of events

Goal

  • To officially launch the hearts@school Community Toolkit for use all over BC.

Program

  • Students participate in a variety of interactive educational and physical activity stations such as martial arts, dance, yoga, golf and biking
  • Students learn about healthy eating and physical activity, dangers of tobacco and sun exposure, stress management and goal setting
  • Each of the 6 stations look different depending on available resources
  • hearts@school events are usually held during school hours.  

It started in Summerland BC

Initially Carol Stathers, a Registered Nurse, ran several highly successful hearts@work-inspired programs at the elementary and middle-school levels, developing resources to support these school-based initiatives. Based on the success, Healthy Heart Society of BC agreed to help make the program available to schools across BC. 
 
Since 2005, the hearts@school initiative has evolved under the direction of an Advisory Council of teachers, school administrators, students, nurses, a parks and recreation manager and representatives from Action Schools! BC and ActNow BC.
  
In the 2008-2009 school year, hearts@school events will be held in three BC communities. 

“It's one of the broader areas in terms of health and education because looking after yourself is part of the social responsibility piece that is very important in our school district and across the province.”                           Connie Denesiuk, President, BC School Trustees Association