Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1137604
OPINION 27 WE have often stressed the importance of healthy liv- ing, from a very young age. A programme to help promote anti-obesity and social inclu- sion, started in late 2018, has just been completed. This programme was deliv- ered to 1,485 students at the equestrian centre during the scholastic year 2018/2019. The programme itself had a multitude of benefits. Set within a natural environment, children who were initially afraid of these large animals overcame their fear once they understood the body language of a horse and they learnt to respect it. The children's confidence was also enhanced as they learnt new skills and at the same time their levels of anxiety were reduced. Participants also learnt about mindfulness. Since horses are a mirror of our own emotions, children were taught to approach the horse gently and with a posi- tive mood. Grooming (clean- ing) the horses was a thera- peutic exercise for many and it was the best time to teach them about impulse regulation – communicating with a horse in a calm manner, taking care not to frighten it as well as car- ing for it and gaining trust. The majority of students were from State schools but students from Independent schools (8%) and from Church Schools (3%) participated. Whilst most of the students were of Maltese origin, foreign students accounted for around fifteen percent of all partici- pants. Furthermore 6% were students with special needs (both physical and mental). Some courses were shared between two schools and this had very positive results. For example, Thi Lakin (year 4) and Cospicua (year 6) were true team players. All teachers from both schools helped each other. Moreover, Cospicua students even helped Thi Lakin students in some of their schoolwork. With this particu- lar course, we also had three students from the Learning Support Centre in Naxxar, who participated in all the ac- tivities asked of them and who competed in all their school work enthusiastically. There were around 80 SEBDs from four different Learning Support Centres and one from St Clare Secondary School, Pembroke. They were all more focused and learnt to exercise body/voice control particularly when in close proximity of the horses, as well as patience in turn-taking especially when they groomed (brushed) the horses. All participants were taught the importance of health and physical activity using horses and ponies as a learning me- dium. They attended a three-day holistic programme. Overall assessments results were 90% accurate. Participants im- proved their ability to tackle the activities and challenges in a natural, non-competitive and non-judgmental environment without any form of bullying or racism whatsoever. Our mission is to provide a forum for the advancement of health-enhancing physical ac- tivity (HEPA) research, policy and practice throughout. We promote physical activity across the life course and in all settings. The guiding principles of such programmes focus on population-based approaches for the promotion of health- enhancing physical activity using the best available scien- tific evidence. They encour- age exchange, dissemination and sharing of experience and knowledge. These activities are based on WHO policy statements, such as the European Strategy on Physical Activity, the Global Strategy for Diet, Physical Activity and Health, the NCD Action Plan and on corre- sponding documents from the European Commission. The Ministry for Education has supported this programme and we thank our sponsors and especially our organis- ers. We endeavour to make it happen again during the next scholastic year. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JUNE 2019 The children's conf idence was also enhanced as they learnt new skills and at the same time their levels of anxiety were reduced. Participants also learnt about mindfulness Horses and healthy living Evarist Bartolo Evarist Bartolo is Minister for Education and Employment Since horses are a mirror of our own emotions, children were taught to approach the horse gently and with a positive mood