The Kids Co-designing Healthy Places project is now LIVE – a Monash University project supported by VicHealth. WAHPSA was lucky enough to have Deana Leahy at our end of year networking breakfast in 2020 as a keynote speaker to share with us some of the work that has been done on this incredible project.
The project supports councils and schools to engage with kids to co-design healthier places. It focuses on the things in our neighbourhoods that impact healthy eating and being active. Kids Co-designing Healthy Places recognises that kids live, learn, and play in the places councils look after. By including them in the design process we can build healthier futures together.
The website provides a toolkit that teachers can use to explain how the project connects to policy, curriculum, and enhance kid’s learning. Council staff can also use it to enhance Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans.
The great work completed by Deana Leahy and Monash University has seen the toolkit shortlisted as a finalist at the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) next generation lab which is operated by the World Health Organization and recognises innovative programs that accelerate progress towards achieving the NCD-related sustainable development goals. A fantastic achievement by Deana and something we would like to congratulate her on.
A fantastic resource has also been created to engage with kids and teach them about the social determinants of health. This can be found here.