Healthy Trinity
Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice in Trinity
Healthy Trinity is a partnership of stakeholders throughout the University and beyond. The structures below adapt according to the time of year and the people engaged.
Healthy Trinity aims to make the healthy choice the easy choice in Trinity by engaging as many students and staff as possible in promoting health. We are always interested in hearing from students and staff who have energy and would like to get involved. To contact us, email Martina on health.promotion@tcd.ie.
What Makes Us Healthy?
We’re all responsible for the decisions we make. Ultimately our decisions and biology decide how healthy we are. But decisions aren’t made in a vacuum. As this model shows, the choices we make are affected by:
- Social networks like our friends, family and peers e.g. if your friends exercise you’re more likely to or having someone to talk to helps when you’re stressed.
- Living, working and studying conditions e.g. exams cause stress!
- Broader factors like laws, norms, weather e.g. the smoking ban has made it easier not to smoke or because we live in Europe it’s normal for women to attend college which is good for their health.
How is Trinity Promoting Health?
Smarter Travel
Student and staff cycle training, public transport tax saver scheme, pedometer & cycle challenges, bike to work scheme, lecture series and info, cycle buddy scheme for new cyclists, information maps on smart routes from halls, and between campuses, car pooling website, BUG cycling
Health Week
Free exercise classes ++, relaxation/ pilates/ yoga, gardening, gym challenges, lunchtime talk, mindfulness, sports club involvement, blood drive, free dance classes, fencing club display, quidditch tournament, health talks, health focused classes e.g. living well with arthritis, mental health training for staff
Physical Activity
Operation Transformation, Getting non exercisers moving, GP exercise referral, Eat, Move, Be Healthy, sports centre brief interventions training on ProYouth and BodyWhys, mental exercise referral
Smoking
Stop smoking courses, Don’t Say Don’t to Smokers training, students campaign on how movies promote smoking. smoke free survey, Smoke Free Campus
General
Student and staff led relaxation, Pro-youth promotion, breastfeeding support, shift worker info, SHAG Wk reduced rates for STI checks, information on health centre website
Our Approach
Community Action
Everyone can promote health. We aim to be peer led, not expert led by giving students and staff the skills to be healthy and to encourage their peers to be healthy.
Healthy Policies
Policies that promote health have the widest reach. We lobby to ensure health is considered in all Trinity policies.
Supportive Environment
Being healthy should be easy. We aim to surround people with peers, facilities and living, studying and working conditions that support health.
How Are We Doing?
Lots To Do
So many things affect health that we’ve a lot to cover! There are topics we plan to work on but haven’t had time to yet. This year, our main focus is on smoking and getting non exercisers moving
We Need You
If you have ideas for making Trinity healthier and have the energy to help make your idea happen or if you’re just interested in health promotion and would like to meet others interested, email us on health.promotion@tcd.ie. You can also like us on facebook