Seminar on the occasion of Prevention Day 2024

-Automatic translation

The seminar will start at 10:00 a.m. and will be streamed on the Prevention Day website , but the live stream can also be accessed on Youtube.

Agenda for the symposium:

The principal welcomes guests

Moderator – Dóra Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir, Head of the Public Health Division of the Directorate of Health

Speakers:

• The President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir

• The Director of Health, Alma D. Möller

• The Chairman of the City Council, Dagur B. Eggertsson

• Margrét Lilja Guðmundsdóttir, Chief Knowledge Officer at Planet Youth: Nothing about you without you

• Voice of Youth: Ernir Daði Arnbergz Sigurðsson and Karen Hulda Finnsdóttir, representatives from the UMFÍ Youth Council

Participation in the Prevention Day

All compulsory and upper secondary schools in Iceland can register to participate on the Prevention Day website and can access material focusing on young people in the 9th grade of compulsory school and the first year of upper secondary school. Emphasis is placed on protective factors against risky behavior: Having quality time with family, participating in organized sports and leisure activities, and allowing the brain to mature. It is assumed that schools will work on the projects during October 2nd – 23rd. Students can participate in a prize game presented on the Prevention Day website on October 2nd. The requirement for participation is that they are students in the 9th grade of compulsory school or students in their first year of upper secondary school that participates in the Prevention Day program.

The Directorate of Health is responsible for the project management of the Prevention Day, and partners are the Office of the President of Iceland, the City of Reykjavík, Research and Analysis, Planet Youth, the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland, the Icelandic Youth Association, Samfés, the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities, the Association of NGOs in Prevention, the Association of Icelandic Scouts, the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police, and Home and School Association.

Municipalities are encouraged to put prevention on the agenda in October. In recent years, many municipalities have organized a prevention program in October in collaboration with various parties, associations, and institutions in their community. Parents can also be encouraged to participate and revive good parent cooperation, where schools, community centres and municipalities can provide good support.

We encourage schools, community centres, sports clubs, parents' associations, communities and others to pay close attention to getting professionals to talk to children and young people about prevention and risky behaviour. Skilled staff in schools, community centres and others who work with children and young people are best suited to carry out prevention teaching and education. If external parties are asked to talk to children and young people about risky behaviour, careful attention must be paid to how the education is carried out and especially that no harm is being caused. In this context, reference is made to the fact sheet on What Works in Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Prevention in Schools (Icelandic) and the International Standards on Drug Prevention (Icelandic).

Further infomation
Dóra Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir, Head of the Public Health Division
Ingibjörg Guðmundsdóttir, Project Manager Health-Promoting School
Lísbet Sigurðardóttir, Project Manager of the Together Group