What needs to change to make the healthy choice the easy choice?

What is happening in your school or organisation?

Get a picture of what is happening now.

Then you will know what to target!

Dream what else is possible! Imagine what could be…

How can you be a health promoting school or organisation?

How can you make the most difference?

Find the root cause of problems

And find the best way to reach your goal!

Summary:

To work out what needs to change to make healthy choices easier at your school or organisation, it is helpful to look at what is currently happening. This activity will help you understand the habits, knowledge, concerns and goals of the people in your school or community.

Instructions:

Complete your mission’s school audit:

• Water is the Main Drink
• We Respect Every Body
• Healthy Food is the Main Food
• We Log Enough Sleep
• Stand Up Sit Less Screens Down
• We Work Our Hearts
• Choose Your Own Mission

Tips

• Read – review all questions and make sure your group understands what you need to find out.
• Discuss – work out with your group members how each sign is or could be present in your school.
• Refer – to the guidelines and information that you have learned so far.
• Check – make sure everyone understands the signs of a health promoting school; see if everyone has the same opinion, or do others see it differently to you
• Consult – it will help to talk with teachers, other staff, parents/carers and your peers. Do you need to talk to your peers, students from other grades, teachers, parents or other members of the school community? You may need to set up a time to meet with these people.  Talk with other students. Try to talk with a mix of students, including across year groups, friendship groups, boys and girls.  It’s always good to check with people outside the group too. Grade 7 boys may have very different views and ways of doing things than Grade 9 girls
• Observe – Do you need to get out of the classroom and take a fresh look at the school environment.? Take a tour of your school, watch what students do at break times, what they are doing before and after school. Take photographs to record what is happening in your school.

Record and review – record as honestly and accurately as possible; review to see if your opinions have change; are there any gaps you haven’t addressed?

Summary:

What changes do you need to make in your school to make the healthy choice the easy choice?

This activity is based on Appreciative Inquiry which is a strengths-based approach to creating change. For HYP, this means focussing building on what your school is already doing well to increase healthy behaviours and decrease unhealthy behaviours.

In this activity you will discover what your school is already doing well; dream what else is possible; and start to design strategies that will help you reach your goal.

Instructions:

1. Discover - Using your School Audit results, record all the things your school is currently doing well to make healthy choices easy.
2. Dream – Imagine and brainstorm what could be if there were no barriers.
3. Design – brainstorm what could be done to build on the strengths and aim for your dreams.

Resources:

• Discover Dream Design Questions
• Discover Dream Design Template

Summary:

To complete your Mission you will create an action plan to make healthy choices easier.  You may have lots of great ideas but how do you know which ones will work?

This activity will help you look for the root cause of the problem or why is the healthy choice is not the easiest choice?  Once you have discovered the root cause you can consider what changes would make the most difference and fix the problem.

Instructions:

Find the root cause using the 5-Whys

1. Use the 5-Whys template to help record your thinking.
2. Identify the things that your school is not doing well.
3. Group these according to similarities. (you could try writing each one on a sticky label and then grouping them)
4. Agree on what the problem is – why isn’t your school currently achieving your Mission?
5. Ask “Why is this happening?” List as many answers as you can think of.
6. Choose one or more of these answers and ask “Why?”
7. Repeat three more times or until you find the underlying or root cause.

Find out what would make the most difference using POOCH.

1. Use the POOCH template to find the best way to fix the root cause/problem:
2. Problem: why are healthy choices not easy?
3. Options:choose several specific changes in the school that might make the healthy choice the easy choice.
4. Outcomes: brainstorm all the potential effects
5. Choices:What option are you going to choose?
6. How is this the best choice?

Discussion Questions:

• Which options are likely to really make a difference?
• How realistic is each option given the resources your school has?
• How likely is it that your school community will support each option?
• What extra benefits would the option bring?
• What problems could each option cause? What could go wrong?
• What would each option cost (money, time, effort, reputation, enjoyment)?
• What else is happening that could help or hinder each possible option?
• Identify the ones that you could influence or change.
• What are the causes that would make a difference AND you have the power to change?