Children as visionary change agents in Danish school health promotion
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
This paper describes children's perceptions and visions for a healthier social and physical environment in the setting of a primary school on the Danish island of Bornholm. Guided by an everyday-life perspective and applying participatory action research methods including social imagination and visual techniques within the framework of future creating workshops, the study engaged 50 children aged 6-9 years in creative processes of identifying health-related problem areas and solutions in their school setting. The study observed that the children were very capable of articulating their thoughts, ideas and visions for a better and healthier school environment. Identified problem areas and solutions differed widely and represented a broad perspective of health including social, physical, environmental and emotional aspects. The paper discusses advantages and challenges of involving children in decision-making processes and concludes that children are visionary and creative agents of change in health promotion projects provided that applied participatory methods are appealing to the children.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Health Promotion International |
Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 0957-4824 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
ID: 210532899