The Wellbeing of the Future Generations
(Wales) Act calls on communities to prioritise wellbeing, sustainability and
access to green spaces. A project team from the Cardiff School of Education and
Social Policy (CSESP) at Cardiff Metropolitan University responded to this
national health need by collaborating closely with regional primary schools to
support schools and parents in enhancing children’s wellbeing. The iValue
U Wellbeing App was the result of an innovative year-long partnership between
Cardiff Metropolitan University’s CSESP team and Welsh primary schools across
South Wales.
The project, which was funded by the Higher Education Funding
Council for Wales (HEFCW), was created by Lecturers Nick Young, Dylan Adams,
and Lisa Fenn who were concerned with the rising screen time use among young
children, and research which suggested that young people in Wales felt
emotionally disconnected from nature.
The app was designed in collaboration with
pupils from Blaenycwm, Maes yr Haul, Calon y Cymoedd and Deighton Primary
schools with the guidance of Year 2 Primary Education students at Cardiff
Metropolitan University. Throughout the project, the pupils were engaged in
various wellbeing classes with their classmates, such as yoga, mindfulness,
multisensory meditative activities, bibliotherapy, dance and outdoor pedagogy.
School staff and parents were also advised on how mindfulness approaches could
be incorporated into teaching as well as everyday life. Teachers felt that participation
in these mindfulness classes had a positive impact on pupils’ lives. Pupils also
used the healthy coping strategies they learnt throughout the program to
support other children.
The iValue U Wellbeing App is available to
download from the App Store. The App is an excellent resource for mental and
physical wellbeing strategies for young people, parents and teachers. You can
read more about this project here and watch a video about the development and design
of the iValue U Wellbeing App here.