Critical Environmental and Health Education

Citation

Weare, K. (2001), "Critical Environmental and Health Education", Health Education, Vol. 101 No. 5, pp. 243-245. https://doi.org/10.1108/he.2001.101.5.243.3

The Danes, and especially those who work in the research centre which produced this book, have long been at the forefront of the implementation of a social and politically focused approach to health promotion, including health promotion in schools. This approach – one might almost say “movement”, as it feels rather Messianic and ideologically driven – sees environmental and health education as fundamentally linked with each other, and as needing to be based on some key principles. The emphasis is firmly on the central importance of using a democratic approach to health and environmental education, one in which children are genuinely involved, and encouraged to be critical.

The approach has had an enormous influence on the HPS in Europe, and especially the European Network of Health Promoting Schools: for example, it largely underwrote the seminal “Thessaloniki Conference” in 1996, organised by the WHO for ENHPS coordinators.

This book reflects these preoccupations, and brings together some substantial theory and concrete examples of socially focused research and development from the worlds of health education and environmental education.

The book consists of 16 chapters by a range of researchers from right across the world, which aim to “challenge the status quo in environmental and health education in a radical way”. The chapters explore, and at times make more concrete, such politically correct but often nebulous concepts as democracy, autonomy, participation, sustainability, social capital, empowerment, action competence and resilience. The chapters vary in style and scope, although all are worth reading, and so this review can only look at a few examples. Some chapters are broad and encompassing, for example, an account of a meta‐analysis of environmental education projects carried out for the EU, while several are largely theoretical and agenda setting.

In contrast the chapter by the Canadian Paul Hart includes some first‐hand accounts by teachers of their efforts to educate young people to think for themselves, and respect one another and their environment: it contains some painfully honest, reflexive attempts the teachers themselves make to relinquish some of their traditional power and allow themselves to be criticised by their students and be genuinely open to their feelings.

The chapter by Venka Simovksa is probably the most salient for those involved in health promoting schools, looking at the key concepts in the context of the experience of the Macedonian HPS network.

This book represents a very interesting “take” on health promotion, and is one from which those of us from countries which currently have more reactionary educational systems would do well to learn. It forms an interesting and refreshing contrast with the predominantly psychological and rather conservative focus of much current work on health promotion.