Prevention in the form of peer education

The Municipality of Hafnarfjörður takes
takes its preventative role seriously and has for some time taken the path of
offer peer education within Hafnarfjörður's primary schools. Has this approach
It was well received by pupils, their parents and school staff.
The discussion will often be more open and different, and is therefore considered a good addition to the
education and encouragement that takes place in other ways.

At the moment, two prevention projects are underway at
Hafnarfjörður. On the one hand, there is the Hafnarfjörður musician and former
Icelandic football champion, Jón Ragnar Jónsson, visits students in Year 8.
to all the primary schools and chats with them about a healthy lifestyle. The other
This is a preventative project for Year 9 pupils in secondary schools.
Hafnarfjörður and is concerned with mental health education. The Hugrún Mental Health Education Association has taken on
this peer education, but the Healthy City of Hafnarfjörður entered into an agreement with
The Society in the Autumn Term 2018.

Focus on the discussion about e-cigarettes
and their harm

This year, Jón Ragnar Jónsson places special emphasis on the discussion of
e-cigarettes and their harm, as well as his discussion of children's tobacco use and
youth as a whole. This is a collaborative project between the City of Hafnarfjörður and
Cancer Society of the Capital Region. „John
For several years now, Ragnar has taken on this project with
anachronistic measurable success, since this is about a cheerful and stylish role model.
for our young people who are, at heart, an ordinary young man from Hafnarfjörður. He
chats with the kids on an equal footing, tells them about his life, answers
questions about football, wonders what's exciting about the e-cigarettes,
discusses a healthy lifestyle, speaks out against the use of smokeless tobacco and talks about the music career“
says Geir Bjarnason, sports and leisure representative for the City of Hafnarfjörður. According to
According to research from Research and Analysis, 8th-grade pupils generally live very
a healthy life and it is believed that positive and constructive preventative measures such as
Jon's visit would encourage them to continue choosing a healthy lifestyle.

Education about
Mental health, mental illness and available resources

The Mental Health Education Society Hugrún was founded in the spring of 2016 by students
in psychology, medicine and nursing at the University of Iceland and the association has
including the worthy aim of educating young people about mental health, mental illness and
resources, as well as to increase public awareness. To this end, the association's focus has been
engaged in educating secondary school pupils, as well as holding open evenings and presentations for
both the public and parents. In collaboration with the City of Hafnarfjörður, takes
The Mental Health Education Association is now taking the next step and bringing its education to primary school pupils. 

Educators
On behalf of the association, all Year 9 pupils in primary schools will be visited in the spring term of 2019.
About mental health, mental illness and the resources available.
to proclaim and, in fact, the fact that life is not just constant joy but is about
It's also about balance in so many aspects.„We
We need to pay better attention to the mental health of our young people, and that is why we chose to
to launch peer education on these issues in collaboration with Hugrúnu gagngert
to empower our young people, open up the discussion and contribute to eliminating
prejudice“ Geir says at last.