As the sun over most developed nations is much more damaging than most others, it is very important to keep ourselves safe from the harmful UV Rays (Ultraviolet Rays). Your skin is most prone to sun damage from age 0-18, so the 500 sunsmart schools in nz have sunsmart programs to keep us safe.
Education about being sunsmart is important because it will inform the children about the damage the sun can do to you if you are not careful. SLIP SLOP SLAP WRAP which means, Slip into shade, Slop on sunscreen, Slap on a hat, Wrap on sun glasses.
Hats are a very crucial part of being sunsmart because they cover your face which is a very sensitive part of your body. Especially in NZ and other developed countries the ozone layer is torn because of all the pollution and gases. Therefore the sun’s UV Rays is coming directly on to us and not being dispersed or blocked by the ozone layer.
Not all but some schools shift there break timings according to the UV rating because at some specific times during the day the UV rating is at it’s peak and in NZ without the ozone layer it can be very harmful. Even sunscreen doesn’t block out 100% of the UV Rays, even if it is SPF (Sun Protection Factor) 100. SPF 50 blocks out 98% of UV Rays and SPF 100 blocks out 99% of the UV Rays. So you may think that you get double the protection but actually the difference is only marginal.
Even while wearing sunscreen no matter the SPF you can still get harmed, it will happen slower but it can still harm you. That is why you should stay in shade as much as possible. Schools around NZ have made lots of shady areas where they host assemblies and play during break times.
So to conclude, I would say that being sunsmart is a very important skill to have because it can save you from VERY BAD types of cancer, Melanoma being the most common. One thing to remember is SLIP, SLOP, SLAP, WRAP.