Healthy eating project a success

It was a great opportunity to attend the Healthy Schools Forum, organised by the WA Health Promoting Schools Association this morning. 

As well as sampling the fantastic chia breakfast prepared by Cyril Jackson High School students, the event provided an excellent opportunity to learn about a number of initiatives that are helping to engage and inspire young people, and educate them about healthy eating routines and the benefits of physical activity.

The WA Healthy School Project is a statewide community health initiative implemented by WA Health Promoting Schools Association in partnership with Child and Adolescent Community Health and the Western Australia Country Health Service.

It was particularly interesting to learn more about The Prepare, Produce, Provide 5000 meals program, which has partnered with the Healthy School Project to give teachers and students the chance to work with chefs and apprentices from prominent hotels and restaurants to produce meals for people in need.

In this program, chefs use surplus food, nutritional guidelines and school venues to cook and distribute food to schools with populations of students who are most at risk of poor health outcomes, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse, Indigenous and low socio-economic backgrounds.

I particularly admire the consultative approach the project has undertaken to implement this incredibly important and successful initiative.

At this event, it was also very interesting to hear the views of Dr Keven Runions, Senior Research Fellow at the Telethon Kids Institute, on the important topic of bullying and its effect on school experiences and mental health.

Jenni Perkins
Acting Commissioner for Children and Young People