Two school projects in Witten win the NRW Health Prize

Health means more than just not being ill - it also includes self-efficacy, life skills and quality of life. This is precisely what the Holzkamp and Otto Scholt comprehensive schools in Witten are focussing on: with scientific support from Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H), they are implementing the Dutch concept of "Positive Health", a holistic approach that focuses on people's well-being.

The two school projects are part of the municipal model project "Healthy City of Witten (GeWIT)", which is funded by Techniker Krankenkasse and tests innovative approaches to health promotion on site. As part of GeWIT, pupils learn how they can actively shape their own health - and impressed the jury of the NRW Health Award 2024. The Witten projects were selected today (26 August 2025) from around 100 applicants for their participatory approach and direct relevance to the everyday lives of young people.

Questions that open doors

Since the start of the 2024/2025 school year, lessons and project sessions have been focussing not only on disease prevention, but above all on health awareness. "How are you feeling? What are your goals? What do you need?" These three questions set a lot of things in motion during the project. With the help of the so-called "spider web model" (see illustration), pupils were able to assess their own well-being and talk about topics that often have no place in everyday school life: Sleep problems, loneliness, bullying, family stress.

"For many, it was a new experience to talk about their own well-being at all," reports project manager Heike Bergemann from the UW/H. "But this is precisely where the strength of Positive Health lies: children and young people learn to express their perspectives and recognise opportunities for change."

Two schools, two concepts

The Otto Schott Comprehensive School established discussion groups and creative lunchtime programmes with a child and youth coach. The aim: to promote emotional expression, resolve conflicts and develop personal health goals.
Holzkamp comprehensive school focussed on the peer approach: older young people were trained to support younger ones as "buddYs" in the event of worries or conflicts. Both approaches promote personal responsibility, social skills and mutual supportand therefore important resources for a healthy upbringing.

Scientific support from the UW/H

The Institute of General Practice and Primary Care (iamag) at the UW/H, headed by Prof Dr Achim Mortsiefer, is providing scientific support for the implementation. Among other things, it is analysing how the discussions affect self-efficacy, resilience and health literacy and which framework conditions promote openness and trust. The results are currently being analysed and are part of a doctoral thesis.

"Especially in schools with many social challenges, it becomes clear how important it is not only to teach children and young people, but also to listen to them," says Prof Mortsiefer. "Positive health changes attitudes - among pupils and teachers alike. "

Both schools want to continue the projects in the long term. There will be an open meeting place for buddY tandems at Holzkamp Comprehensive School in the future. Otto Schott Comprehensive School also wants to specifically involve quieter and more introverted pupils. Together with the city of Witten and Techniker Krankenkasse, Positive Health is to be extended to other schools and open child and youth work in the future.