Prifysgolion a Cholegau Iach  – Healthy Universities and Colleges

Mae Prifysgolion Iach DU (Healthy Universities UK) yn diffinio prifysgol neu goleg iach fel sefydliad sy’n mabwysiadu dull holistig, system lawn i iechyd.  Mae hyn yn cynnwys edrych a chreu amgylchedd dysgu a diwylliant sefydliadol sy’n cael ei rannu lle mae iechyd, llesiant a chynaliadwyedd cymunedau yn cael eu hadnabod fel rhywbeth sy’n hanfodol ar gyfer llwyddiant.  Mae prifysgolion iach nodweddiadol yn darparu awyrgylch groesawgar, cynyddu proffil iechyd a chynaliadwyedd ac yn cysylltu gyda, a chyfrannu at, iechyd a llesiant y gymuned ehangach.

 

Beth sy’n digwydd yng Nghymru?

Yng Nghymru mae gennym gyfle gwych i wneud gwahaniaeth.  Mae grŵp rhwydwaith Prifysgolion a Cholegau Iach, wedi gwreiddio yng Nghanolfan Arbenigedd Rhanbarthol Cymru, yn sefydlu er mwyn denu’r rhai sydd yn, neu wedi gysylltu gyda, y cymunedau niferus o brifysgolion a cholegau ar hyd a lled Cymru a thu hwnt er mwyn cydweithio i wneud gwahaniaeth i iechyd a chynaliadwyedd pob Cymru a’r byd.  Mae’r grŵp yma yn rhoi cyfle i adeiladu ar ddatblygiad amgylchedd iach blaenorol yng Nghymru. Sefydlwyd cynllun Cymreig ar gyfer Ysgolion Iach a chynlluniau cyn-ysgol nifer o flynyddoedd yn ôl gan roi iechyd yng nghanol yr agenda ar gyfer plant yng Nghymru a gall dull tebyg ar gyfer prifysgolion a cholegau wneud yr un fath i bobl ifanc a phawb sydd ynghlwm â’r amgylchedd dysgu.  

 

Datblygodd y cynllun Ysgolion Iach cyfres o safonau o amgylch amrediad eang o bynciau iechyd roedd ysgolion yng Nghymru yn cael eu mesur.  Gwellodd y cynllun cyfleusterau a darpariaeth ar gyfer iechyd mewn ysgolion gan annog ysgolion i gymryd cyfrifoldeb dros gynnal a daprau iechyd i bawb oedd yn dysgu, gweithio, chwarae a byw yno.  Dysgodd plant am sut i fyw yn iachach yn ogystal â galluogi disgyblion a staff i gymryd rheolaeth o rai agweddau o amgylchedd yr ysgol oedd yn effeithio eu hiechyd. Mae’r plant ysgol yno’n troi yn bobl ifanc rŵan gyda nifer ohonynt wedi mynd, neu yn mynd i astudio ymhellach yn addysg bellach neu uwch.  Gyda nifer ohonynt mewn un neu fwy o’r 23 prifysgol neu goleg yng Nghymru. Mae’r sector addysg uwch yn fawr yng Nghymru – mae dros 275,000 o fyfyrwyr yn astudio yng Nghymru ar unrhyw adeg a dros 30,000 o bobl yn cael eu cyflogi un ai yn addysg bellach neu uwch. Mae hyn yn rhoi rheswm da dros ddatblygu’r dull amgylchedd iach yn ein prifysgolion a’n colegau.

 

Fframwaith Prifysgolion a Cholegau Iach Cymru

Yn dilyn y model o ysgolion iach, mae grŵp o bobl ar draws sectorau prifysgol a cholegau, ynghyd â gwneuthurwyr polisi o Llywodraeth Cymru ac arbenigwyr o Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru wedi dod at ei gilydd i ddatblygu Fframwaith Prifysgolion a Cholegau Iach Cymru.  Mae’r Fframwaith yn darparu safonau arfer da mewn chwe phwnc iechyd: 

• Ymarfer corff
• Iechyd meddwl ac emosiynol a llesiant
• Defnydd a cham-drin sylweddau
• Iechyd personol a rhywiol a pherthnasau
• Bwyd iach a chynaliadwy
• Amgylchedd cynaliadwy

 

Mae chwe phrif egwyddor sy’n tanseilio’r safonau yma ac mae’r rhain wedi cael eu cynnwys yn y fframwaith: 

• Cydraddoldeb ac amrywiaeth
• Cyfranogiad a grymuso
• Partneriaeth
• Dull system gyfan
• Yn berthnasol i staff, myfyrwyr a’r gymuned ehangach
• Defnydd o dystiolaeth, rhannu a dysgu

 

Un o’r tasgau cyntaf ar gyfer y cylch diddordeb Prifysgolion a Cholegau Iach bydd i weld beth yw’r ffordd gorau i roi’r fframwaith ar waith.  Gallwch chi helpu neu hoffwch ddarganfod mwy? Efallai bod gennych syniadau ar sut i roi’r fframwaith ar waith yn eich sefydliad neu efallai bod gennych ddiddordeb bod yn rhan o’r peth rhywsut.  Os felly, gyrrwch neges i mi ar [email protected] neu well byth archebwch le yn un o’r digwyddiadau RCE Cymru yn yr hydref er mwyn dechrau gwneud gwahaniaeth.

 

_________________________________________________________

 

Healthy Universities UK defines a healthy university or healthy college as being a place where a university or college is adopting a holistic, whole systems approach to health.

 

This involves seeking to create a learning environment and shared institutional culture where health, well-being and the sustainability of communities are recognised as being core to success. Healthy institutions characteristically provide supportive and welcoming settings, increase the profile of health and sustainability and connect with, and contribute to, the health and well-being of the wider community.

 

So what’s happening in Wales?

In Wales we have a better opportunity than most to make a difference. A Healthy Universities and Colleges network group, rooted in the Regional Centre of Expertise Cymru, is being established to attract those in, or connected with, the many university and college communities from around Wales and beyond to work together to make a difference to the health and sustainability of the people of Wales and the wider world. This group provides an opportunity to build on successful previous healthy settings development in Wales. The Welsh Healthy Schools and pre-school schemes established some years ago put health at the centre of the agenda for children in Wales and a similar approach for universities and colleges can do the same for young people and all those connected with the learning environment.

 

The Healthy Schools scheme developed a series of standards around a broad range of health topics against which schools in Wales were measured. The scheme not only improved the facilities and provision for health in schools but by encouraging schools to take responsibility for maintaining and providing for the health of all who learned, worked, played and lived there, it not only taught children about how to live healthier lives but it also enabled pupils and staff to take some control over aspects of the school environment which influenced their health.  Those schoolchildren are becoming young people now and many of them have gone to, or will be going on to study in further and higher education. Many of them in one or more of Wales’ 23 universities and colleges. The further and higher education sector is large in Wales – there are more than 275,000 students studying in Wales at any one time and more than 30,000 people are directly employed in further and higher education here. This provides a compelling reason for the healthy settings approach to be further developed in our universities and colleges.

 

The Healthy Universities and Colleges Framework for Wales

Following the healthy schools model, a group of people from across the university and college sectors as well as policy makers from Welsh Government and leading experts from Public Health Wales have come together and developed the Healthy Universities and Colleges Framework for Wales. The Framework provides best practice standards in six health topic areas:

• Physical activity
• Mental and emotional health and well-being
• Substance use and misuse
• Personal and sexual health and relationships
• Healthy and sustainable food
• Sustainable environment

 

There are six core principles which underpin these standards and are included within the framework:

• Equality and diversity
• Participation and empowerment
• Partnership
• Whole system approach
• Applies to staff, students and wider community
• Use of evidence, sharing and learning

 

One of the first tasks for the Healthy Universities and Colleges network group will be to see how this framework can be best implemented. Can you help or would you like to find out more? Perhaps you might have ideas on how the framework might be applied in your institution or perhaps you might just want to get involved in some way. If so drop me a line at [email protected] or better still come along to one of the autumn RCE Cymru events and start to make a difference.

 

All articles published on Click on Wales are subject to IWA’s disclaimer.