Manitoba Healthy Schools

In 2009-2010, Manitoba’s Healthy Schools Initiative (a partnership between Manitoba Healthy Living, Youth and Seniors, Healthy Child Manitoba and Manitoba Education) introduced the Healthy Buddies™ Program as a pilot project in 20 elementary schools across the province.

First started in British Columbia, Healthy Buddies™ was developed by physicians and educators to promote community health and prevent chronic disease.  It is a school-based health promotion program that works to empower elementary school children to live healthier lives.  Healthy Buddies™ focuses on encouraging healthy attitudes and behaviours in three areas of health:

1. Physical activity (or Go Move!)
2. Eating healthy (or Go Fuel!)
3. Feeling good about yourself (or Go Feel Good!)

Healthy Buddies™ uses a peer teaching model by partnering younger students with older “buddies” who serve as mentors and healthy role models.  Together students learn to make healthy choices that will help them lead healthier lives. 

The purpose of this pilot was to evaluate the effectiveness of Healthy Buddies™ in Manitoba and determine the value of offering and implementing this program at a provincial level.  Click here to download a short form report summarizing the key findings of the evaluation

Additional information pertaining to Manitoba can be found at:

• www.gov.mb.ca/chc/press/top/2009/04/2009-04-09-115300-5653.html
• www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/newslinks/2009/april2009/HealthyBuddies.HL.doc

For more information about Healthy Buddies™, visit:

• www.healthybuddies.ca

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For more information, please contact:

Healthy Schools
Phone: (204) 788-6394
E-mail: healthyschools@gov.mb.ca