Ishøj accepts 55 million kroner to boost children’s wellbeing

Ishøj Municipality will receive a donation of 55 million kroner to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people, DR reports. The municipal council has formally accepted the funding from the Center for Healthy Living and Wellbeing, a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

The donation follows two years of work to identify the community’s challenges, needs and resources. The next step is to turn that work into specific initiatives, said Tine Curtis, project director at the center.

“We have three missions: promoting active communities, healthy food and food communities, and a sense of belonging and agency,” Curtis said.

Ishøj Mayor Merete Amdisen said the municipality had significant potential to improve public health. The funding will allow it to expand its efforts with outside financial support, expertise and resources, she said.

Naja Dieu, a youth coordinator at Ishøj Youth School, said the money was needed because more children and young people in the municipality feel they do not belong at school, in their free time or in society.

The funding could help create meaningful communities and strengthen young people’s sense of belonging and agency, Dieu said. Possible initiatives include creating more part-time jobs for young people or setting up a learning environment by the water where they can spend time.

The grant will make it possible to work on young people’s wellbeing over the long term, she said. The municipal council unanimously agreed to accept the donation.