Julia Kontak

Health PhD (’25)

Julia Kontak studies the importance, process and benefit of meaningfully engaging children and youth voice in school health activities.

“My work aims to build evidence and awareness of the importance of shaping school environments into key settings that promote rather than hinder the health and well-being of students.”
@JuliaKontak

18
Aug

From outdoor classrooms to gardens, how Nova Scotia youth are creating healthier school communities

Youth and young adults hold unique, creative and diverse perspectives and approaches compared to their adult counterparts. Think about the advocacy of Greta Thunberg and Mikaela Loach around climate change and climate justice or Malala Yousafzai’s advocacy for all children’s rights to receive an education. While these advocates have challenged the marginalization of children’s and young people’s voices in the context […]

4
Jul

School’s out for summer! Now what?

School’s out for summer! It is officially that time of year where students switch out their backpacks for beach bags, their pencils for popsicles, their schoolbooks for sleeping bags and head off to fun-filled summer camps. Yet with the break from schools, we are left with the question – how can the topic of student […]

2
Jun

From research to action: A short (research) story on the UpLift Partnership

Believe it or not, it can take up to 17 years for evidence to be put into practice. Luckily, over the past decades, there has been increased effort to ensure research is translated into action through knowledge translation, the umbrella term used for all activities done to bridge the gap between what we know and […]

1
May

Creating a roadmap for student engagement in school health promotion: Part 1

It’s about the journey, not the destination, as the saying goes. Whether overcoming a challenging obstacle, completing a PhD, or embedding student engagement into school health promotion, this metaphor is tried and tested. As previously outlined in this blog series, there are many benefits of engaging students in school health, like increased motivation, improvements in […]

3
Apr

PARdon me? Breaking down the benefits of participatory action research (PAR) with children and youth

Youth Participatory Action Research, or “YPAR” for short, is the younger, more novel sibling of Participatory Action Research – a research approach that works with participants, rather than on or for them. Children and youth go beyond being mere informants or recipients of data and become co-researchers in partnership with adults to develop research questions, collect […]

6
Mar

When it comes to school health, students need a seat at the table

Thinking back to when you were in school, or perhaps like me you still are, what would you answer if someone asked you, what makes a healthy school community? Perhaps a school that feels safe, a school where people are kind and respectful, perhaps a school with beautiful infrastructure, outdoor facilities, clean and spacious rooms, […]

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