A rapid increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity has been observed globally in recent decades to the point where the World Health Organisation has declared it as one of the most serious public health concerns of the 21st century. This increase has been observed across all age groups, reaching epidemic proportions in both children and adults. It is estimated that 26% of men and 21% of women in Ireland and 1 in four children (25%) aged nine years old are either overweight or obese in Ireland. An obesity report conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development shows that childhood overweight and obesity rates in Ireland are among the highest in Europe. Health and wellbeing are not evenly distributed across society. Health inequalities exist when a subgroup of the population suffers a disproportionate burden of ill health and premature death compared to the community as a whole. Many of the risk factors for chronic disease, such as smoking and obesity, are more common in lower socio-economic groups or among people living in more deprived areas. (HSE) The project aims to take three groups of young people from Ireland Greece and Italy with fewer opportunities and create through training and mobilities and exchange of best practice in the context of healthy and sustainable food . The project will take place over two years and will see the group a small group receive training directly from a chef and then peer learning disseminate their learning with larger groups of young people through exchanges o Italy Ireland and Greece . The project culminates with young people having created a cook book from Italy Ireland and Greece holding a public food festival in Ireland in 2022. The project priorities are informed by two documents The EU Youth Strategy and The Sustainable development goals. The idea of the KA2 is to use the Sustainable Development Goals as the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. They mirror the values and ethos of youth work and sit in harmony with the EU Youth strategy which is the framework for EU youth policy cooperation for 2019-2027, based on the Council Resolution of 26 November 2018. EU youth cooperation shall make the most of youth policy's potential. It fosters youth participation in democratic life; it also supports social and civic engagement and aims to ensure that all young people have the necessary resources to take part in society. The EU Youth Strategy focuses on three core areas of action, around the three words: Engage Connect Empower, while working on joined-up implementation across sectors. The project in its simplest form aims to Engage a group of young people in a innovative and connect them in the exchange of ideas values and culture in order to empower them to bring about change in their communities The project outcomes -Promotes a model of peer lead learning - It promotes Mental health and well being - It promotes the participation of young people and enables their personal development through nonformal education - It promotes European citizenship - It develops communication, team working and other skills and behaviours which will increase their future opportunities and ultimate employability - It enables intercultural dialogue. - It promotes inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. - It overcomes stereotypes / xenophobia and encourages tolerance among young people by focusing on shared identities, culture and heritage
The general goals for this project include: - promotes Mental health and well being - promotes the participation of young people and enables their personal development through non formal education - promotes European citizenship - develops communication, team working and other skills and behaviours which will increase their future opportunities and ultimate employability - enables intercultural dialogue. - promotes inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. - overcomes stereotypes / xenophobia and encourages tolerance among young people by focusing on shared identities, culture and heritage. The project intended to involve young people and make them aware of the consequences for unhealthy diets and highlight how traditional and new media would market products with a high content of fat, sugar or salt, without any regulation or control from national policies in place. Moreover, the project wanted to target groups of young people from Italy, Greece and Ireland who would highly benefit from the information and the exchange with peers with a different cultural background. In relation to the engagement and empowerment of young people, we expected to: - Enhance their participation in democratic and civic life in Europe; - Enable them to connect with, express their views and be heard by elected policy makers, public administrations, interest groups, civil society organisations or individuals active in political or social processes affecting their lives; - Enhance critical thinking and media literacy among young people to strengthen democracy and counter manipulation, propaganda and disinformation; - Broaden and deepen political, civic and social participation of young people at local, regional, national, European or global level; - Foster active citizenship and notably volunteering and solidarity among young people; - Increase social inclusion of all young people, building on European values; - Promote intercultural dialogue and promote knowledge about and acceptance of diversity and tolerance in society; - Strengthen young people's sense of initiative; - Reinforce links between policy, research and practice and promote better knowledge about the situation of young people and youth policies.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) represent a leading threat to human health and socioeconomic development. Cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes cause an estimated 35 million deaths each year, 80% of which occur in low- and middleincome countries. The already heavy burden caused by NCDs, along with the fact that the majority of these deaths are premature and could be averted, provide a strong public health and policy imperative to act.Unhealthy diet is a key modifiable risk factor for NCDs. Unless addressed, unhealthy diets — in conjunction with other risk factors — increase NCD prevalence in populations through raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, abnormal blood lipids and overweight/obesity. While deaths from NCDs primarily occur in adulthood, the risks associated with unhealthy diet begin in childhood and build up throughout life. Furthermore, overweight and obesity now ranks as the fifth leading risk for death globally. It is estimated that in 2010 more than 42 million children under the age of five years are overweight or obese, of whom nearly 35 million are living in developing countries. Overweight during childhood and adolescence is associated not only with an increased risk of adult obesity and NCDs, but also with a number of immediate health-related problems, such as hypertension and insulin resistance. Childhood overweight and obesity are on the rise in Europe. According to the WHO, 1 in 3 children aged 6-9 years were overweight (incl. obesity) in 2010; up from 1 in 4 children of the same age in 2008. A new report from WHO/Europe finds that many existing policies and regulations aimed at tackling food marketing to children are markedly insufficient, meaning children continue to be exposed to commercial messages promoting foods high in fats, salt and sugar. The report, which reviews best available evidence on policy implementation in the WHO European Region, finds that around half of the 53 countries in the Region have taken some steps to limit marketing of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods to children. A few countries have adopted legally binding rules, which specifically restrict HFSS food marketing in certain media, at certain times. Others are attempting to address the challenge of digital marketing. However, many countries still report no action, and an overwhelming preference for self-regulation by the food and advertising industries remains – an approach that is often found wanting by independent review. Today’s food environment is quite different to that experienced by previous generations. Globally, an extensive variety of food and drink products are now available in most markets, offering palatability, convenience and novelty. But at the same time, the wide availability and heavy marketing of many of these products, and especially those with a high content of fat, sugar or salt, challenge efforts to eat healthily and maintain a healthy weight, particularly in children. Advertising and other forms of food and beverage marketing to children are extensive and primarily concern products with a high content of fat, sugar or salt. Evidence shows that television advertising influences children’s food preferences, purchase requests and consumption patterns. Further, a wide range of techniques are used to market these products, reaching children in schools, nurseries, and supermarkets; through television and the Internet; and in many other settings, therefore by engaging in this project young people will be more aware of choices they make in relation to their own health and wellbeing.