Abstract
This chapter examines an intervention with children aiming to promote wellbeing through the sense of community and the contact with nature. A total of 100 adolescents aged 10–14 years old (M = 12.18, SD = 1.39) from two public schools in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) participated in this study, 50.7% boys. They were divided into two groups according to the pre-test results: children with lower wellbeing rates were placed in the experimental (intervention) group (n = 48) and those with higher wellbeing rates in the control group (n = 52). The intervention was carried out using activities that sought to promote the identification of neighbourhood resources, classmates who live in the neighbourhood and the presence of nature in home and school surroundings; to encourage the contact with nature in these environments and to discuss about preserving nature in the neighbourhood. The assessment is qualitative and quantitative and made from materials produced during activities, through field journals and questionnaires with open-ended questions and scales answered at three different time points: before the intervention (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention (post-intervention) and 30 days after the intervention (follow-up). The quantitative results are moderate in relation to the effect of the intervention, while the program impact was not statistically significant. Qualitatively, children showed development of their repertoire in relation to the resources and places to enjoy around the neighbourhood. Participants preferred locations are the outdoor spaces and they showed dissatisfaction with the lack of safety and depredation of the neighbourhood.
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Galli, F., Paradiso, Â.C., de Campos, C.B. (2017). Promoting Child Wellbeing: Community and Nature Connections. In: Sarriera, J., Bedin, L. (eds) Psychosocial Well-being of Children and Adolescents in Latin America. Children’s Well-Being: Indicators and Research, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55601-7_11
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