During the month of July, Summer Medical School: Lifestyle 2024 brought together more than a hundred children and young people from different nationalities for a summer camp at NOVA Medical School, focused on promoting healthy lifestyles.
This program aims to provide fun and educational experiences that encourage physical activity, healthy eating and the adoption of healthy habits in everyday life. In this true immersion in lifestyles, taking place at Colina de Santana, participants not only experience a medical school, but are also encouraged to learn about the Medicine of the Future, which focuses on prevention - through a full life and healthy habits. The youngest are the main "characters" of the change in the family and we want them to be influencers, passing on the knowledge acquired during this week of Summer Medical School: lifestyle.
Summer Medical School 2024 in numbers:
Three years of Summer Medical School: lifestyle represent a remarkable growth in recognition among civil society and the media. Demand in 2024 was significantly higher than supply, showing parents' confidence in the NMS brand and recognition of the added value of this project, which is innovative and has a positive impact on the lives of children and young people.
The 2024 edition was attended by children (aged between 6 and 14) and young people (aged between 15 and 18) from various locations in Portugal (Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Lisbon, Madeira and Setúbal), and around the world, such as Brussels and Mexico.
With 18 participants each week, the Kids program began with a compulsory nutrition consultation aimed at understanding the child's nutritional status. The week's activities covered key areas based on the four pillars of this summer camp. The activities in the Kitchen Lab and the Basic Life Support Session were at the top of our little researchers' list of favorites.
As part of this program, 32 scholarships were offered. The partnerships established within this framework reflected our shared commitment to the healthy future of all children, regardless of their context. We sought not only to promote education, but also the health and well-being of these children and their impact on their families.
The international program, the result of a partnership with Técnico de Monterrey, involved 20 young people, all of Mexican nationality, who spent three weeks focused on acquiring knowledge in the areas of nutrition, medicine and research, always with a view to lifestyles. In the final week, these young people were challenged to carry out a "Healthy Masterchef" competition, putting into practice the knowledge they had acquired during the program, and the results were truly amazing!
Testimonies like that of Santiago Flores leave us with a mission of accomplishment:
"It's my first time in Europe. NMS is a very modern institution with a lot of technology. The program was very intense and covered several areas.
The research activities allowed us to see things in a detail we had never seen before. It far exceeded my expectations.
I came with the aim of finding out if I wanted to study medicine and I think the program opened many doors for me. I realized that medicine isn't just about seeing someone sick and curing them, it's something much bigger. I highly recommend this program."
With regard to the program for young people in secondary school, we had a group of 30 young people from various parts of the country with us between July 22 and 26. Through partnerships with local authorities, namely the Regional Health Department of the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Municipality of Alenquer, we broke down geographical barriers so that this program is accessible to everyone.
"I'm interested in medicine and I think it's a valuable learning experience. The contact with the specialists in each area is really important, as it gives us a detailed insight into what the different areas are like.
NMS is an option, it's a very strong option, it's a very beautiful university, it's an old university - it has its history, but it also has its excellence and status. The interaction with the professionals, the visits, allow us to have a truer understanding of what it's like to be a doctor.
I would recommend the program, it's a very positive experience, an experience that stays with us. I totally recommend it." Rodrigo, Summer Medical School participant: lifestyle, Resident in the Autonomous Region of Madeira
The organization hopes that the impact of the event will go beyond the week of activities that took place here, inspiring young people to maintain the healthy habits they have learned.
NOVA Medical School is grateful for the presence of all the participants, the work of all the teams involved and the involvement of all our partners.
The development of societies depends on the behavior of all of us. If we want to build healthy, safe and sustainable societies, we have to do more and better, we have to add value to our contributions. This is the belief of NOVA Medical School and all the partners who have joined this project.
We'll be back in 2025, with new programs for a real immersion in lifestyles, at Summer Medical School: Lifestyle!
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