a toolbox for creating healthy places to learn, work and play how to get and keep people involved booklet 4 what is a health promoting school? There is an important relationship between student, staff and community well-being and the ability of any school to function at its best and achieve all that is expected from the process of formal school education. If people in schools are happy and healthy they can learn, work and play better. A health promoting school is one that works in a way which demonstrates a whole school commitment to improving and protecting the health and well-being of the school community. More specifically, a health promoting school is one that uses a health promoting schools approach. A health promoting school cannot be defined by the presence of special projects, educational activities or specific physical characteristics. Nor is it a program with a beginning or an end. the health promoting schools approach A health promoting schools approach is really a way of thinking and working that is adopted by the whole school in order to make the school the best possible place to learn, work and play. The approach is defined by: • people from across the school community working together to plan and deliver school activities • an ongoing consideration of the broad range of factors which make up the school, to ensure that positive and comprehensive school systems, environments, programs and activities are provided. Many schools that adopt a health promoting schools approach find the health promoting schools framework an extremely helpful instrument for ensuring their thinking and planning processes are comprehensive and consider all aspects that make up the school. the health promoting schools framework The health promoting schools framework highlights three interacting components of a school. The framework is a useful guide to help plan what happens in your school in a comprehensive and holistic way. refers to what is taught and learnt and how it is taught and learnt curriculum, teaching and learning school organisation, ethos and environment includes the physical and social setting of the school partnerships and services refers to the partnerships formed between the school and members of the community including parents, local businesses, non-government and government organisations how to get and keep people involved how to get and keep people involved The support and involvement of others in the school community is crucial to the success of the health promoting schools approach. How you treat people and gain their support will determine whether or not they become and stay involved. tools that can be used to encourage and maintain school community participation include: — types of participation ..........................................................2 — how to identify who could be involved ............................... 5 — how to look at the influence and support of different people — stakeholder analysis.............................6 — how to help create a shared vision of your ‘ideal school’ — visioning activity ........................................9 — how to identify ways to involve people – using a group discussion............................................... 14 — how to identify ways to involve people – using a questionnaire .................................................... 16 — how to identify barriers to participation – using a checklist ............................................................ 18 — how to encourage participation and overcome barriers .............................................................................20 — how to maintain ongoing involvement .............................22 — references .........................................................................24 page 1 how to get and keep people involved types of participation background information Looking at participation as a continuum is often useful. It helps us to see the range of involvement that people can have. All types of participation are important and should be valued. Involvement and participation in the health promoting schools process can occur at any point along the continuum. Various degrees of participation will be required at different times and for different activities. Figure 1: a continuum of participation passive participation < active participation > The following table provides examples of parent involvement as passive participants and as active participants. This example relates specifically to parents but can easily be applied to other participants such as students, teachers, other staff, health professionals, and members of the broader community. page 2 how to get and keep people involved Table 1: examples of parents as passive and active participants1 parents as passive participants < parents as active participants > Sharing Information — receive written information — read notices — attend parent/teacher meetings — play an active role in planning and/or meetings — share information about family interests, needs and — attend joint in-service training Involvement in activities or special events — help with excursions — participate in organised fundraising activities — contribute to an activity eg. donate food — initiate and/or organise activities or special events eg. multicultural dinner — give considerable time, energy or resources — take responsibility for specific tasks Decision-making and planning — participate in decisions about own child — complete questionnaires — participate actively in management of school — contribute to decisions about school policies and practices what to do Identify and create opportunities for all types of participation to get people involved. See How to identify ways to involve people — group discussion and How to identify ways to involve people — questionnaire in this booklet for activities that identify ways to involve people. m Encourage and improve participation by removing the barriers and reasons people have for not getting involved. Refer to How to identify barriers to participation — checklist in this booklet. m Let people know what is in it for them by emphasising the benefits of getting involved. Involvement is a commitment for most people that can have costs, for example, time, travel expenses, potential to fail, etc. But there are also many rewards of involvement. Benefits to participants can include: — development of new skills — enhanced self-esteem page 3 how to get and keep people involved — — — — — contribution to children’s education increased circle of friends increased awareness of own health being valued by others acting as a good role model for others, etc. Help people to see that the benefits are likely to outweigh the costs. Remember: all types of participation are valuable. page 4 how to get and keep people involved how to identify who could be involved background information Working with the whole school community is very important to the health promoting schools approach. School community involvement should be more than fundraising, voicing concerns or audience participation. A health promoting school not only consults the school community; it encourages members to play an active part in the management, decision-making and activities of the school. A high level of school community participation takes time and effort to achieve. However, many benefits result from an inclusive and collaborative approach. These can include sharing the workload, gaining specialist skills and knowledge, and an increased chance that any recommendations will be carried out and be ongoing. what to do This activity can be completed individually, or used as a brainstorming session within a group or meeting. See How to brainstorm in Booklet 8. List as many ideas as you or the group can think of to answer the following questions: — Who makes up our school community? — Who has a stake in what happens within our school? (Who are the stakeholders?) — Who will be affected by adopting a health promoting schools approach? — Who will benefit from adopting a health promoting schools approach? — Who needs to be involved? page 5 how to get and keep people involved how to look at the influence and support of different people — stakeholder analysis background information The term ‘stakeholder’ refers to all people who are, or could be, affected by the health promoting schools approach. That is, all people who hold a stake in what goes on. This activity will help you think about the impact stakeholders can have on implementing the health promoting schools approach or implementing a specific activity. It allows you to estimate the level of support each stakeholder is likely to give you and how much influence they are likely to have. This will help you determine what actions can be taken to increase their support. A stakeholder analysis as shown in Table 2 can be used to: • understand who and what you are dealing with • identify the amount of support you have from different people, groups or organisations • identify the lack of support from people or areas • decide how to overcome difficulties and barriers before they arise • understand the influence and power certain people have so you can choose who to target to help make the health promoting schools approach successful • decide who will make up a health promoting schools working group. what to do page 6 Use the steps listed below to complete this table2. The activity can be completed by an individual or by a group. See the example on the next page of what this table could look like when completed. how to get and keep people involved Table 2: stakeholder analysis2 1 2 3 4 5 degree of confidence in degree of confidence in stakeholder support eg. President P & C ++ eg. Principal 0 influence M ?? ? H 6 actions Questionnaire Discuss with Principal Step 1: List all stakeholders in Column 1. Include all people or organisations that may be interested or can help you. Do not forget to identify agencies, personnel and community groups and the rest of the school community. Step 2: In Column 2, record your estimate of how supportive or nonsupportive each stakeholder is likely to be. Useful codes are: ++ strongly supportive + supportive 0 indifferent or undecided opposed — strongly opposed Step 3: In Column 3, for each stakeholder, record how confident you are in your estimate of their support. For example: confident ? some doubt ?? considerable doubt ??? wild guess Step 4: In Column 4, record your estimate of how much influence each stakeholder is likely to have. Useful codes are: H high M medium L low or none Step 5: In Column 5, record how confident you are in your estimate of each stakeholder’s influence. For example: confident ? some doubt ?? considerable doubt ??? wild guess Step 6: In Column 6, record actions you can take to check your estimate and/or increase the support of the stakeholder. As you plan actions, consider the following: page 7 how to get and keep people involved — Have you checked that your estimates are correct? — Is it likely that you will be able to turn opposition around? — Are you wasting resources on those you cannot win over? — Have you considered and tried to overcome barriers that may be preventing the support of stakeholders? — Are you targeting influential stakeholders? Table 3: example stakeholder analysis 1 stakeholder 2 3 degree confidence of in support President P & C Principal ++ 0 Head of Department HPE Head of Department – Science Head of Department – Home Economics Head of Department – Manual Arts Head of Department – English Head of Department – Maths + ?? 4 5 degree confidence of in influence M H ? H 0 ? M ? ++ ?? M ?? + ? M ? 0 ??? M ??? - ? M ? 6 actions Questionnaire Discuss with Principal Address staff meeting Address staff meeting Address staff meeting Address staff meeting Address staff meeting Address staff meeting etc Carry out your planned actions. You may like to complete the table again at a later stage as stakeholder support and influence may have changed, especially after implementing your actions. page 8 how to get and keep people involved how to help create a shared vision of your ‘ideal school’ – visioning activity background information To help create a shared vision of the ‘ideal’ health promoting school, you can invite members of the school community to participate in a visioning exercise. This activity is designed to involve people in creating a vision of their school as they would like it to be. It can assist in developing a sense of community and ownership of ‘their’ school. It can also generate support and enthusiasm for initiatives that move the school towards their shared vision. what to do The activity could be run during an information forum, a health promoting schools meeting, within an existing meeting or with a health promoting schools working group. you will need coloured pens, large sheets of paper, reusable wall adhesive, sticky note-pads. the activity involves the following steps introduction m Explain that participants are going to be asked to envisage their own school transformed into the ideal school. m Ask participants to move to a comfortable position and close their eyes. page 9 how to get and keep people involved visioning m Read the visioning script to participants. Be sure to pause and leave plenty of time for people to visualise what you have been saying. sharing ideas about their ideal school page 10 m When participants have finished the visualisation, invite them to form small groups. m Ask participants to recall what came to mind as being most important to their vision of the ideal school, and to share ideas within the group. m Ask each group to record their vision of the ideal school. This can be done by: — writing words or phrases, or drawing pictures on a large piece of paper — writing or drawing their ideas on sticky notes and making a collage — writing or drawing their ideas on a school map. m Display the responses of each group around the room for example, attached to the wall or window. m Invite participants to go on a ‘gallery walk’ around the room to view the ideas of other groups. m Invite participants to return to the large group and present/discuss the elements of their ideal school. Use these ideas to develop a whole group vision of the ideal school. This could be used: — to display to the rest of the school community — to draw comparisons between the vision and the school as it currently is, and point the way for possible changes within the school community. how to get and keep people involved visioning script (Speak slowly, pausing to allow participants time to visualise.) “We’re now going to take a trip into a school community where the students and staff have the best possible opportunities and conditions for learning and working. The school is part of an ‘ideal’ wider community that supports and encourages the school. As we take this trip, try to picture your school as this ideal school community. Think about your school as you would like it to be. “Make yourself comfortable, perhaps close your eyes. “Now, imagine that we’re hovering above the school in a hot-air balloon. It’s after 8.30am. From your position, you’re able to take in the school environment as a whole - look at the buildings, the grounds, the play areas, the students. What colours, sights, sounds and smells come up to meet you? “Now the balloon is descending slowly into the centre of the school. We’ve landed. We’re leaving the balloon and wandering around the grounds. Look around you. What impresses you most about what you see? What is the general environment like? What sort of buildings and facilities are available in this school? Are the grounds attractive and well kept? Are there signs around which make it easy to understand what sort of behaviour this school encourages; what its standards are? “We’re leaving the grounds now and going through the school buildings – the admin building, the staff rooms, the toilet blocks, the walkways, the library, the other facilities… What’s your first impression? What helped you form that impression? What do you see as you proceed through the buildings? Are they clean, comfortable and welcoming? What facilities are available and what items can you see to tell you that this is a school that values the well-being of its members? Are there certain areas or rooms set aside for specific groups to work, such as parents, or guidance staff or health care personnel? What facilities are available for teachers? Is it a comfortable working environment for staff? “Classes have begun now and we’re going to have a look through the classrooms. As we enter one classroom after another, take notice of the students’ surroundings and the general atmosphere of each room. Are the facilities comfortable in terms of lighting, temperature, space? Do page 11 how to get and keep people involved the students look motivated and involved in the activities offered in their classrooms? How would you describe the way teachers are working with their students? How are the students relating to their teachers? Do you see students participating in class decision making? What sort of values are being communicated through the interaction of teachers and students, and students with one another? What’s on the walls? Do you see any health related lessons or units in progress? What about community involvement - are there any parents or community members contributing to classroom activities? How are they contributing? What obvious signs tell you that people’s well-being is an integral part of this school’s ethos and curriculum? “At morning tea and lunch we venture outside again. What are the students eating? Where are they seated? Are they together in groups or seated individually? Are there enough bins and are they being used? What does the general area look like? Some of the students are going to the tuckshop. Let’s follow them. “As we approach the tuckshop, what prominently displayed items first catch your eye? What do you notice about the menu as you read it? Which items are the students buying? Who is working in the canteen, making and serving food? Are parents, students or other community members involved? What sort of advertising is around? How is the tuckshop supporting the nutrition activities that you may have seen going on in the classrooms? “Most of the students have finished eating now, and are out in the playgrounds. As we wander and observe the students, what strikes you most about their general appearance and behaviour? What kinds of activities are they involved in? How are they interacting with one another? See that student standing alone? Watch what happens. “Let’s take a closer look at the recreational areas. Are the play areas safe and appealing? What sort of planned outdoor spaces are there for educational and recreational purposes? Are they open or shaded? Where are the students spending the most time? What sort of supervision is there? Are there any organised activities going on? Who is involved in those activities? Now look at the teachers who are on duty - what are they doing? How are they interacting with the students? Do the teachers and students seem comfortable together? “From here we also visit the staff room. What do you notice as you enter? What is the general atmosphere and page 12 how to get and keep people involved environment like? What facilities are available for the staff? What are they doing or discussing? What evidence is there that staff are supported, involved and motivated? Are professional development activities encouraged and given full support within the school? Is there a broad cross section of staff present in the staff room? Do teaching support staff and administration staff also participate in the staff room? Does this strike you as a happy staff room? Why? “Let’s jump forward to the end of the school day now and move with the students as they travel home. Some students are being picked up by parents or carers, while others are walking, riding and even skateboarding. What sort of safety precautions are evident? Is the students’ departure from the school grounds supervised by teachers, parents or other road safety personnel? “When the students arrive home, what do they do? Do the students talk about their day and the things they did and learned? What sort of information is shared between the school and the home and how is this information shared? Does the home demonstrate a positive attitude towards the school? “The day is at an end and it’s now time to reflect on all that you’ve seen and heard. Think about the things that pleased you as you moved about the school. What are the things that really impressed you? “Now we have finished our trip, you can open your eyes. It would be good now to share some of our visions for our ideal school with others.” page 13 how to get and keep people involved how to identify ways to involve people – using a group discussion background information To help create opportunities for participation and remove barriers, it can be useful to gather ideas from the school community about how people can be involved. what to do The following activity3 could be completed during a planning or information sharing session to identify opportunities and barriers to participation. You may want to follow some, or all of the following steps: m Explain and discuss ‘passive’ participation and ‘active’ participation. Refer to Types of participation in this booklet. Do not forget that all levels of participation are important. m As a group, brainstorm all the opportunities for school community inclusion and participation that currently exist in the school. List these on a whiteboard using the following table. If you wish, place each opportunity along the continuum of passive and active participation. passive participation < Spreading information Gathering information Involvement in activities or special events Decision-making and planning page 14 active participation > how to get and keep people involved m Look at the list of opportunities for participation that you have developed and discuss the following questions. List any new ideas that arise on the whiteboard or have someone record them on butchers paper. — Have we considered all school community members? principal students parents/carers teachers non-teaching staff school/youth health nurse other health workers interested community members and organisations other — Are there areas where opportunities for participation are particularly well handled? Why is this so? What are some factors that contribute to high levels of participation? — Are there areas where opportunities for participation do not exist or are extremely limited? Why? — What are some of the reasons why people don’t participate or get involved? — What actions can be taken to open up opportunities for participation and overcome barriers? (The term ‘barriers’ refers to anything that discourages participation.) — Does anyone want to ‘do something’ to overcome these barriers? Who wants to work together to do it? Who else needs to be included? When and how will you begin? Set a time and date for interested people to develop an action plan of strategies that will encourage participation. page 15 how to get and keep people involved how to identify ways to involve people – using a questionnaire background information A good way to identify barriers and create opportunities for participation is to ask people in the school community about their perceptions of these. A questionnaire allows you to ask a large number of people. It also allows you to target a specific group of people, for example, parents, community members, or students for whom participation may be a problem. what to do page 16 Using the sample survey shown in Figure 2 as an example, create your own questionnaire with open-ended questions that can be used to identify ways people can be involved. Distribute copies of this questionnaire to members of the target group and allow a reasonable amount of time for them to fill it in and return it to a designated place. Remember to state the time it is due to be returned. Providing some sort of a reminder to the group will usually improve the number of responses you receive. how to get and keep people involved Figure 2: example of a simple survey designed to identify ways people could be involved your school’s emblem Healthsville State School Healthsville State School is interested in looking at participation within the school. We want to use this information to create better opportunities for participation. Your input is very valuable and we would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to fill in this survey. (Please return to the school office by 20 August) 1. Why do you think some parents, community members or students don’t participate or get involved in school activities? 2. What could be done to change or overcome these barriers? 3. In what ways would you like to be involved in school activities? 4. What would make it easier for you to participate in school activities? Thank you for your valuable time For more information on questionnaires, refer to How to conduct a survey in Booklet 6. page 17 how to get and keep people involved how to identify barriers to participation – using a checklist background information Barriers to participation are those things that prevent members of the school community from being involved. Sometimes the school can take a specific action to overcome barriers, if the barriers are recognised. This checklist can be used at different times throughout the health promoting schools process to prompt your thinking and acting about barriers. what to do page 18 Complete the following checklist to identify possible barriers to participation of school community members. Those planning school activities, for example, the health promoting schools working group, could use the checklist. Alternatively, if you want to find out what many members of the school community think, the checklist or related questions could be used as part of a survey. how to get and keep people involved Table 3: checklist of possible barriers to participation4 Do school community members face these barriers? times do not suit (eg. day activities may exclude some people) problems with transport and accessibility limited availability of quality childcare to attend activities new to the school — “I don’t feel as though I belong” family culture is different from school culture main language spoken at home is not English work commitments make involvement difficult formal meeting procedures exclude some people feelings of alienation towards school, teachers and/or administrators educational jargon is used in our school and excludes others complex or unclear decision-making processes are used in our school time-consuming decision-making processes lead to frustration hesitancy to work or speak out in groups feelings that their contributions are not important or that they have little power to influence others not interested in the school except for educational purposes other? page 19 how to get and keep people involved how to encourage participation and overcome barriers background information Once barriers to participation have been identified, taking action to remove them will help involve more people. what to do page 20 The following suggestions include a range of opportunities that exist to encourage participation. m Hold meetings – encourage attendance by thinking of the most appropriate time and location to hold meetings. Consider types of assistance you can offer to encourage participation. Meetings could include: — health promoting schools information nights — health promoting schools working group meetings — consultation with existing groups, for example, P&C, P&F, tuckshop, staff groups, student council or school council. m Invite feedback — place articles and messages in newsletters inviting comment and feedback. Invite new people to participate whenever health promoting schools information is given. m Give feedback — regular feedback is most useful. Present ongoing progress reports in newsletters, newspapers, etc. Consider including health promoting schools information in languages other than English. m Use a coordinator — a coordinator can keep in contact with people and receive feedback and suggestions, possibly by phone. m Provide a community/family centre — this could consist of an area where parents, students, community members and school staff are welcome. The area is an ideal place for family/student breakfasts, tea and coffee, casual chats and sharing information on social services, translation services, current school activities and the progress of health promoting schools. m Develop policy — a parent participation policy and/or a community member participation policy. The policy how to get and keep people involved could include guidelines for parent/community members working with the school and guidelines for the school working with parent/community members. Strategies that address barriers to participation, for example cultural differences, can be included. See Booklet 9, How to develop and revise policy. m Hold events and ceremonies — organise special events to publicise and celebrate health promoting schools activities and progress. m Use technology — resources can be taken home, for example, videos of special events, school activities or information. Set up a website or send e-mails. See How to use e-mail and websites in Booklet 5. m Have a health library — make information about health, the school, the curriculum, health promoting schools, upcoming events, parenting, child development and local services accessible to the whole school community. m Use worksheets — encourage students to take home health worksheets and discuss health issues and concerns with others. m Hold a ‘launch’ — publicise your school’s adoption of the health promoting schools approach by holding a special event or ‘launch’. Invite key people in the school community. Have an opening speech and presentation to let people know what is happening. Provide refreshments. People can chat informally about the health promoting schools approach which will create enthusiasm and motivation. page 21 how to get and keep people involved how to maintain ongoing involvement background information In addition to creating opportunities for involvement and removing barriers to participation, there are other ways that help keep the school community involved. These include: what to do • providing a sense of achievement • giving positive reinforcement • saying ‘thank you’ • ensuring open communication • providing regular feedback. provide a sense of achievement People need to have some sense of achievement if their interest and enthusiasm is to be maintained. It is important to let those involved know what has been achieved. See Booklet 5 How to let people know for ideas. Before you can let people know what has been achieved, you must first recognise an achievement. It is often easy to get lost in longterm goals without recognising the little steps and smaller contributions that are just as important. To help you recognise achievements along the way: — set short-term as well as long-term goals — identify achievement of short-term goals and successes early — break long-term goals into smaller, more manageable and achievable objectives or steps — consider the achievability of goals when planning — decide on and use ways of monitoring progress. It is important to start small and build on your successes, celebrating each step along the way. This will maintain and page 22 how to get and keep people involved encourage participation rather than taking on something too large and then becoming disheartened when things go wrong. give positive reinforcement People need to feel that their time and energy is useful and appreciated. It is important to acknowledge the input and contribution of all participants. It is amazing what a small ‘thank you’ can achieve. Sincere, frequent and ongoing thanks and acknowledgment are the most effective. Show that you value the efforts of people in everything you do, not just at the end of an activity. say ‘thank you’ The efforts of participants can be acknowledged informally and formally. However, there needs to be a balance between not saying ‘thank you’ enough, having people think their efforts are unappreciated, and saying it so often that it becomes meaningless. When the time is right to do this, there are a number of different ways that can be used: — thank people publicly — as you spread information, for example, list some ‘thank you’s in newsletter articles — present awards at meetings to participants for their special contributions — awards can be serious or fun — present certificates of participation and appreciation at assembly or a special ceremony — celebrate your efforts — organise a special celebration gettogether for those who have participated — thank people personally — write personal ‘thank you’ letters — say ‘thank you’ in person to individuals. ensure open communication Communication should be a two-way process. It is good to maintain open communication with participants on all levels about the progress and outcomes of activities. Participants should be able to communicate openly with the school. Keep invitations open to new people at all stages and make them feel welcome by involving them quickly in activities. page 23 how to get and keep people involved Don’t allow new people the time to feel left out of what is happening in their school. provide regular feedback Providing regular, ongoing feedback on the progress of health promoting schools can help to create enthusiasm and encourage new interested people to participate. Refer to How to let people know Booklet 5. references page 24 1 Adapted from Cervone Tucker B & O’Leary K (1982) A conceptual framework for parent involvement, Educational Leadership, pp. 48-49 cited in Department of Education (1996) Learning and working together, Book 3 Taking action: strategies and resources, Publishing Services, Facilities and Services Directorate: Brisbane 2 Beckhard’s Stakeholder analysis in Course Notes from Social Consultancy; Griffith University, Dick R (1990) (unpublished) 3 Adapted from Department of Education (1996) Learning and working together, Book 3 Taking action: strategies and resources, Publishing Services, Facilities and Services Directorate: Brisbane 4 Adapted from Department of Education (1996) Learning and working together, Book 1 Listening and learning together, Publishing Services, Facilities and Services Directorate: Brisbane This manual has been collaboratively developed by Queensland Health with Education Queensland, Brisbane Catholic Education Centre and Association of Independent Schools — Queensland. Reprinted 2005 Queens and Government Queensland Health Education Queensland
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