Healthy Harold to return to Goldfields-Esperance schools

Educational giraffe Healthy Harold will return to Goldfields-Esperance schools this week to encourage children to make healthier, safer choices. Life Ed’s iconic mascot will visit the region from Monday to September 6 as part of its initiative celebrating the “Resilience of Country Kids”. Made possible by Channel 7 Telethon Trust funding, the tour will see Harold visit kindergarten to Year 6 students at North Kalgoorlie, O’Connor, Kambalda and Esperance primary schools. Life Ed WA chief executive Bernie Foley said students and parents indicated in a recent survey their biggest areas of concern were online safety, mental health, consent and vaping. He said the modules being delivered on the regional visit would explore those topics. “Teachers are under pressure to deliver the crowded curriculum, and this is especially difficult for those in remote schools with limited funding. That’s where Life Ed comes in,” he said. “As our programs are contemporary, interactive and curriculum-based, schools trust us to partner with them to deliver outcomes for their students that will have a positive impact on their health and safety into the future. “We’re grateful to the Telethon Trust team for sharing in this vision and enabling us to visit more country kids, schools and communities in 2024.” Channel 7 Telethon Trust general manager Mark McCrory said they had supported Life Ed WA for a number of years. “It’s great to see Telethon’s support for these initiatives reach and positively impact the lives of country kids who might otherwise miss out on these valuable educational experiences,” he said. “We are dedicated to empowering children with the essential knowledge and skills to lead healthy, safe, and resilient lives.”