- The FISU Healthy Campus programme is built upon a bespoke digital platform that enables universities to track and improve student and staff health and wellbeing
- It is an unprecedented global network for universities to share knowledge, expertise, and best practices and insights
- It looks at student health with a holistic view on fitness, mental health, nutrition, disease prevention, social responsibility, environment and sustainability
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – More than 40 major global universities have come on board, as the FISU Healthy Campus programme reaches its six-month milestone. Launched on 12 May 2020, the FISU Healthy Campus programme aims to enhance all aspects of well-being for students and the campus community at large.
Looking to reverse the well-established trend of young adults compromising their health during their academic careers, the initiative is already having a positive impact on the lives and lifestyles of university students around the world.
“At FISU, we’ve established a clear goal to extend our activities to the wider student community. Society is changing and we need to change with it,” says FISU President Oleg Matytsin. “If we do not, there is something of an existential threat to widespread adult participation in sport.”
“Through this project, FISU provides a unique and very important tool to universities around the world to promote the values of physical activity, health and nutrition among their student community.”
FISU Secretary General-CEO Eric Saintrond agrees that the role and reach of university sports extends well beyond competitions and elite athletes.
“With the Healthy Campus project, we have found a way to extend our activities to all students; not just elite student-athletes,” says Saintrond. “We believe that FISU has a very important social responsibility and we want to reach millions of students.”
“We do not see the FISU Healthy Campus programme as a short or even medium-term project. This is a long-term investment in the future of our societies,” he adds.
The far-reaching programme already has 42 global universities, representing more than 30 countries and five continents, on board and three of them have received the certification.
“The real strength of this programme, is the holistic view of wellbeing in every aspect across the entire campus community,” says Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg. “Linking this project to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gives the project more traction whilst it also benefits the individual universities.”
Outdoor dance training session at University of JohannesburgFISU Healthy Campus & University Relations Director Fernando Parente further explains the benefits for universities.
“Signing up for the programme will help universities work towards UN SDGs in an organised manner and consequently get into leading university rankings,” says Parente.
“They can learn best practices from other major universities around the world and at the same time, promote cohesion and coordination among all their departments and services.”
Parente explains that the programme is designed to put a stop to ‘drop out’ trends and help students love campus life. The University of Coimbra, one of those that has already received certification, is on course to achieving these positive outcomes.
“We joined the programme because its guiding document integrates all the FISU Healthy Campus performance standards, which we believe will benefit our outcomes,” says Rector Professor Amílcar Falcão. “Our involvement in Healthy Campus will also allow us to share knowledge and good practices with other higher education institutions from all around the world.”
The Healthy Campus programme is open to all universities in the world through the official www.fisuhealthycampus.sport platform. Universities can register on this platform and get access to a global network of best practices, successful projects and knowledge. Also on the platform, universities will find the ‘Standard Document’ with detailed information and scientific criteria to earn the official certification – the ‘Healthy Campus Label’.
The University of Lausanne (UNIL) was one of the first two institutions to sign up for the Healthy Campus pilot phase of the programmeThe Standard Document was developed with the support of more than 30 recognised international experts in the field of health and contains 100 criteria to develop programmes. The University of Lausanne (UNIL) has been involved with developing this document from the conception stage.
“We have been privileged, from the beginning, to be able to collaborate with FISU on the Healthy Campus Project,” says Pierre Pfefferle, UNIL-EPFL Director of Sports Services.
“Collaborating with an International Federation gives us more credibility and, above all, will bring us teachings that will help us optimise our approach and knowledge.”
While the objective of registration in the first year will be to earn the certification through implementation of health and fitness programmes, from the second year onwards, the FISU Healthy Campus Label will be awarded at five levels: Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. For more information on the FISU Healthy Campus project, please write to healthy.campus@fisu.net.
