School Health Councils Samantha Heard Executive Board Member, MASH Physical Education Chair, AFHK State Health Systems Director, ACS

Training Components Step 1: Get Together Step 2: Create a Vision Step 3: Develop a Plan Step 4: Take Action Step 5: Maintaining Momentum

Take Action Design the Structure of the Council Create a Plan for Marketing Your Council’s Efforts Deal with Conflict

Design a Structure To be effective, the council members must agree on a structure for carrying out the Action Plan. What kind of groups are needed to carry out the plan Determine the roles of individuals, subgroups, the whole group, leadership, and the staff in doing the work of the action plan. What key elements do you need to be successful Public relations Event Coordination Curriculum development

Design a Structure What key elements do you need to be successful Public relations Event Coordination Curriculum development Review the “Creating a Structure for Your School Health Council” handout

Create a Marketing Plan The plan proposes making changes in the school and the community to improve school health You must communicate your vision, goals, and plan to those outside the council You also need to provide a forum for issues to be discussed and for decisions to be made about how to improve health and learning

Create a Marketing Plan The council must market its plan and vision like a business markets a new product. Instituting change requires educating the public on the need, the potential, and the plan to get there. Use the “Building Social Marketing into Your School Health Council” handout to walk through these steps.

Deal with Conflict As you develop the structure of your council, you will need to determine processes for dealing with conflict The following handouts will assist your council to develop proactive policies for dealing with resistance and conflict “Meeting Resistance to Change” “Create a Process for Resolving Conflicts” “Possible Sources of Conflict Within School Health Councils” Review these handouts and discuss potential resistance and conflicts and how the council can proactively address them.

Implement the Plan Actually implementing the plan is the key to this stage of development in your council. The members will need to feel like they are achieving some success and that they are valued for their contributions. Remember to celebrate even the small successes—that is what you will build on. Remember to value the members for what they can contribute.

Implement the Plan Review the Vision and the Action Plan often to keep the council moving forward. “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in the direction we are moving.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes