Boost your mental and physical health
Final product (calendar):
Description and methodology:
Project’s homepage
https://www.facebook.com/NalenczowBudapest
Summary
High school students today are under a lot of pressure at home and at school too, due to today’s fast world, its requirements and exams they have to pass at school. The pressure increases in their future life, as they need to meet the expectations of university, and – later – the job market. Numerous institutions in Europe focus solely on academic knowledge, ignoring the well-being of students and teachers.
However, there are some schools that try to equip students for adequate coping strategies. Our project aims to promote the balance between academic achievement and mental-physical health by teaching students the importance of mental and physical well-being and showing them strategies to maintain it, handle stress and cope with problems easily.
Two institutions take part in the project: Liceum Plastyczne im. Jozefa Chelmonskiego w Naleczowie from Poland and Szent Gellért Katolikus Általános Iskola és Gimnázium from Hungary. The Hungarian school is familiar with the theoretical background of the topic, also some cooperative methods and mindfulness techniques. The Polish school is an expert in different forms of Art (painting, drawing, making sculptures, calligraphy, art history, etc.). Additionally, both schools will add their own cultural heritage to support the project aims.
Participating students will be 15-17 years old. 13-13 students will take part in mobilities from both schools, accompanied by 3 teachers, but at the local level, 30-40 other students will also be part of project activities. Preparatory teachers’ meeting will be attended by 3-3 teachers plus headmasters from the 2 schools.
The general objective of the project is to share good practices (listed above) and cultural heritage so that participants experience how they can relieve stress in everyday life and, thus, maintain their mental and physical well-being. The objectives are also connected to the priority of “Supporting individuals in acquiring and developing basic skills and key competences”, as personal development, creativity, interdisciplinary co-operation, stress-management, employability and participation in social life are also vital in the project. Another priority is ” Social and educational value of European cultural heritage, its contribution to job creation, economic growth and social cohesion”, as the project also focuses on some Hungarian and Polish cultural heritage (in terms of national sports, dances and food).
Foreign language improvement is also a crucial aim that we plan to achieve.
A more global objective is to put together methodology that can be integrated in the schools’ pedagogical plans, so as to promote the mental and physical well-being of students and teachers. For this aim, a brochure and a calendar will be put together containing the project methodology.
To reach the objectives, students will take part in two project meetings, one in Hungary and one in Poland. The first project meeting will focus on identifying problems, theoretical background, everyday problem-solving techniques, some cooperative methods and mindfulness techniques, national sports and dances, while the second project meeting will include different forms of Art (painting, drawing, making sculptures, calligraphy, art history, etc.) and focus on their use in maintaining mental and physical well-being. Each project meeting will provide cultural activities and discussions in order to get to know the country and practise English. Between project meetings, students will participate in cultural preparation and other project activities.
Target groups of dissemination are participating schools’ students, staff, parents, other schools and the local community. Participating students and teachers promote project results in participating schools, so the results will not only be valid for certain students, they will spread across the school.
Also, relevant information about the project will be available at the schools’ homepage, at the three schools’ common Erasmus+ homepage, on the school buildings’ notice board and on the project’s Facebook account. Staff, students, parents and the local communities can access project information online, whereas the local community and other schools in the area will be informed via the local newspaper. Headmasters and class teachers will also provide information on the project at events organised for parents (parents’ meeting, school’s ball). After making the project’s booklet, printouts will be placed in the schools’ library, sent to some other schools and be available in a pdf format on the webpage, so that everyone can benefit from the project’s results.
In conclusion, we believe our project “Boost your mental and physical health” highlights and investigates an essential element of life today: the importance of mental and physical well-being and stress management and will provide participants and institutions with practical strategies, which other institutions will be able to access and use in the future, too.
A Szent Gellért Katolikus Általános Iskola és Gimnázium Erasmus projektjei 