Educating Students on Wellness and Healthy Lifestyles, Following the Marche Method
The International Forum on Quality of Life, known as InLife, recently took place in Ascoli, Italy, from March 27 to March 30. The forum, spearheaded by the Marche Region, with Andrea Maria Antonini serving as the Economic Development Assessor, brought together experts from around the world to discuss various aspects of well-being and quality of life.
One of the key outcomes of the InLife Forum was the launch of the Ascoli Charter, a manifesto for the region's well-being. The Charter, which encourages governments to adopt holistic approaches in policy-making that integrate social, environmental, and psychological dimensions of well-being, aims to influence national policies.
Andrea Maria Antonini believes the Ascoli Charter could have interesting developments and serve as a point of comparison for national policies. The Charter advocates for the inclusion of well-being metrics in assessing national progress, encourages multi-sector collaboration, promotes education, health, environmental stewardship, and community cohesion as pillars of well-being, and supports evidence-based and citizen-centered approaches to governance.
The Charter's intent is to shift the policy paradigm from solely economic growth to a comprehensive framework that values human happiness and life satisfaction as key indicators of societal success.
In the realm of education, Giuseppe Valditara, the Minister of Education, placed a strong emphasis on the person and their health, including proper nutrition. The new civic education guidelines for Italy, as mentioned by Valditara, emphasize the importance of teaching children about their health and well-being, with a focus on proper nutrition.
Schools played a central role in discussions on nutrition and healthy lifestyles at the InLife forum. Arianna Scarpellini, the director of primary and infant schools in San Marino, presented a project involving 1,300 children who voluntarily adopted healthy habits. After 30 months, 82% of families involved in the project saw concrete improvements.
School gardens, where children learned that fruits are delicious even if they don't look perfect from intensive systems, were also highlighted as a successful initiative.
The discussions at the InLife Forum will focus on youth policies, with experts such as Luigi Fontana, Katie Wilson, and Paolo Galli speaking at the Ascoli stage. Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida, epidemiologist Eliška Selinger, psychiatrist Leonardo Mendolicchio (Food for Mind), and Dutch urban agriculture expert Henk Renting will also be part of the discussions.
The InLife Forum is a significant step towards promoting well-being and quality of life, and the Ascoli Charter serves as a testament to the region's commitment to holistic policy-making. For more detailed or updated information, consulting the official InLife Forum publications or the Ascoli Charter documentation directly would be advisable.
- The Ascoli Charter, launched at the InLife Forum, advocates for the inclusion of education and self-development, specifically focusing on the importance of proper nutrition, as pillars of well-being.
- In the educational sector, the new guidelines for Italy, as mentioned by Giuseppe Valditara, the Minister of Education, emphasize the significance of teaching children about nutrition and health, including proper nutrition, in the context of their overall well-being.
- The discussions at the InLife Forum will also focus on youth policies, highlighting the role of education in fostering fitness and exercise, health, and wellness among young individuals.
- The InLife Forum, with its commitment to lifelong learning, encourages evidence-based and citizen-centered approaches to governance, especially in relation to the scientific understanding of nutrition and its impact on health and well-being.
