Health Practices for Own Self-Improvement (HEPOSI)
The project is a Capacity Building in the Youth field coordinated by Bulgarian Sports Development Association (Bulgaria), with a partnership composed of NGOs from Italy (Mine Vaganti NGO), Paraguay (Asociacion Puente). Physical activity has been proven to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases as cancer and diabetes, enjoying therefore a crucial importance not only for the wellbeing of the individuals but also from the perspective of societal health.
Project Title: HEalth Practices for Own Self-Improvement
Duration: 01/12/2018 – 30/11/2020
Project reference: 602372-EPP-1-2018-1-BG-EPPKA2-CBY-ACPALA
Funding: 99.771,85 €
Programme: Erasmus+
Key Action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices
Action Type: Capacity Building for youth in ACP countries, Latin America and Asia Sur), and Perù (Brigada de Voluntarios Bolivarians de Peru).
Target project:
Youth between 18 – 25 years old
According to WHO data, more than 80% of the World’s population in insufficiently physically active.
The same data let emerge a connection between unhealthy food consumption habits and harmful effects on the individual and, by extension, on the social wellbeing. As highlighted by the WHO, increased production of processed food, rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles have led to a shift in dietary patterns. People are now consuming more foods high in energy, fats, free sugars or salt/sodium, and many do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and dietary fibre such as whole grains.
The combined effect of insufficient physical activities and improper food consumption patterns has been qualified as a challenge to global health by the WHO.
Eurostat data (2014) outline an alarming picture regarding the diffusion of obesity (a critical risk for health and significantly connected with incorrect habits of physical activity and nutrition) among the European youth, with 22,8% of youngsters aged 18-24 overweight in EU 28.
The FAO pointed out, in its 2016 Report “The Panorama of Food and Nutrition Security in Latin America and the Caribbean”, the correlation between the general decrease in malnutrition and hunger and the increase in overweight and obesity among the population of Latin America. The available data show that around 5 percent of the inhabitants of the region is either obese or overweight. At the same time, the Report highlights the disproportionate impact obesity/overweight is determining on women as compared with men. Female obesity is 10% higher than male obesity in 20 among Latin America and Caribbean countries.
“HEalth Practices for Own Self-Improvement” (HEPOSI) envisages a cooperation among NGOs from Europe and the Latin American region targeted at addressing the compelling challenge of promoting healthy physical activity and food consumption practices among young people through Non Formal Education (NFE) methods.
Project educational activities will be:
– Training Course on education in healthy lifestyles, involving youth operators from partner countries and implemented based on a Format TC jointly developed by the Consortium partners.
– Local awareness-raising campaign on the topic of healthy lifestyle at the national level in all partner countries.
– Youth exchange on healthy lifestyle for the youth, involving young people aged 28-25 from each partner country.
Outputs of the project will be:
– Manual “Healthy Sensitive Youth”, outlining the methods employed throughout project learning activities (TC and YE) as well as detailing a comprehensive outline of the project and of its achievements.
– Web Platform in multiple languages. The Web Platform will store the contents developed in the project, the details of activities (including the Social Campaign) and digital versions of the Outputs. In addition, the Web Platform will serve as an informational hub for local follow-up by the partners as well as further joint initiatives on project topic at the international level among project partners.
