Feasibility study:
Nature School Wisseltofta

Nature as a path to better health for children and youth

Visseltofta School Association wants to investigate how nature schools can have a clearer role in the work for better physical and mental health among children and youth. Through a feasibility study, the association, together with Osby municipality, will develop a new method where nature, outdoor education, and health-promoting initiatives are linked more closely to the municipal school activities.

The background is the increasing mental ill health, school stress, and sedentary behavior among children and youth. At the same time, both research and experiences from Wisseltofta Nature School show that spending time in nature can contribute to reduced stress, increased physical activity, better community, and greater well-being.

The feasibility study is carried out in four steps: joint analysis and goal formulation, knowledge gathering and networking, development of the method itself together with new partners, and dissemination of the results. Funding, evaluation, and the forms for long-term cooperation between the nature school and the municipality will also be examined.

The goal is a concrete, adaptable, and long-term sustainable method that can then be tested in practice. It should be usable both in Osby municipality and in future collaborations with, for example, Markaryd and Älmhult municipalities, while also being made available to other nature schools in Sweden.

The board's assessment

Decision date: 2026-06-23
Total selection criteria: 835 points
The board's justification: The project fits well into the leader area's strategy and highlights the important topics of mental and physical health with a particular focus on children and youth. Clear collaborative measures with the municipality strengthen the project's sustainability and will benefit many others through the dissemination of the project's results. Collaboration contributes to the exchange of experiences, method development, and dissemination of knowledge to more actors than those directly involved. The board assesses that the project has good conditions to create long-term values by allowing many to benefit from the project's results.