Hunter Children Won’t Miss out on Healthy Harold!
Healthy Harold might not be able to visit schools face-to-face right now, but children in the Hunter won’t miss out on vital health and wellbeing education, thanks to the launch of Life Education Online.
In response to COVID-19, Life Education NSW, with the support of BHP Vital Resources Fund, has launched a new online program to support schools and families.
Available to all NSW schools, Life Education Online provides valuable lessons exploring healthy eating, personal safety, physical activity, cybersafety and the impact of alcohol and other drugs. The virtual offering includes a range of free resources for parents and children, available on the Life Education website, to help families stay resilient, healthy, safe and strong.
Life Education NSW CEO Jonathon Peatfield said during this unprecedented health crisis, Life Education is committed to doing everything they can to support parents, children and communities.
“Children are living through a time of great uncertainty. This year has seen drought, fire and floods.
Now we are facing broad community upheaval due to the COVID-19 crisis. Our mission – empowering our children and young people to make safer and healthier choices through education – has never been more important than it is now,” Mr Peatfield said.
“Coping with stress and anxiety, overcoming isolation from friends and family, staying physically healthy and active, communicating respectfully and openly – we need to focus on all of these things and more.
“That’s why Life Education, a charity with more than forty years’ experience in health education, is here to support you and your family through this crisis.”
BHP’s Mt Arthur Coal Asset President Elsabe Muller said the organisation was proud to continue supporting Life Education NSW and its work protecting the health and wellbeing of children.
“For the past 11 years, we have been funding Life Education in the Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook areas, helping more than 3000 local children to receive a visit from the Life Education program. We are delighted to extend this support so that children continue to receive vital health education at a time they need it most,” Ms Muller said.
The funding was provided through BHP’s newly established Vital Resources Fund, which was established to support regional Australian communities facing significant challenges as a result of COVID-19.
Life Education NSW Fundraising Manager Sarah Gray said the support from BHP’s Vital Resources Fund would allow Life Education to provide important health education to more children across the state including remote areas in the future.
“Together, we can empower the next generation of young Australians to lead safe and healthy lives,” Ms Gray said.
To book the Life Education online program, schools and teachers can contact bookings.nsw@lifeeducation.org.au or call 1300 427 653.
For free online resources for parents and children, visit www.lifeeducation.org.au
About Life Education
Life Education is Australia’s largest provider of preventive health education to school children. With the help of our iconic mascot Healthy Harold the giraffe, Life Education has been empowering children and young people to make safer and healthy choices for more than 40 years. In NSW we work in more than 1800 schools and preschools with approximately 290,000 school children participating in our program each year. Our 60 specially trained Educators visit students across the state via our 44 mobile classrooms, three pop-up classrooms, and online resources.