Life Education Australia Logo as of 2021

Life Education Australia (Life Ed) is the largest and most recognised health education provider in Australian schools.[1] Life Ed reaches on average 700,000 children annually where qualified educators present evidence-based preventative health and wellbeing education, along with Healthy Harold, the giraffe puppet and mascot who is the face of the organisation.[2]

Life Education Australia began in 1979, in The Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross by Reverend Ted Noffs, who used his experience with religion to focus on an action-based approach as opposed to preaching.[3] In 2016, the program began to teach topics of illicit drug use like methamphetamine, in response to rising narcotics usage rates in Australia.[4] In 2017, the Australian government announced plans to defund the program, but this was not implemented after public backlash.[5][6] The in-person program was temporary halted and moved online due to restrictions placed by the Australian government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed on October 13, 2020.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission - Life Education Australia". www.acnc.gov.au/.
  2. ↑ "What ever happened to Happy Harold? An investigation". www.mamamia.com.au/. February 11, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Life Education and Healthy Harold | The Saturday Paper". 2021-05-06. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2022-02-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ↑ Cook, Henrietta (2016-08-24). "Healthy Harold the giraffe makes strides to teach dangers of ice". The Age. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  5. ↑ Street, Andrew P. (2017-05-31). "Healthy Harold, the adorable funding-saving mascot!". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  6. ↑ "Aussie social media left distraught after news of Healthy Harold's defunding". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  7. ↑ "Healthy Harold returns to local schools". The Young Witness. 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  8. ↑ Gregory, Helen (2020-05-17). "Healthy Harold moves message online". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
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