gusto salute
Start date: Aug 1, 2014,
End date: Feb 2, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
Gusto salute (taste health) is the name of the exchange project among 30 youths from 14 to 19 years old plus 5 accompanying persons of Italy, Hungry, Portugal, Spain and Romania.
The idea came out from the observation that the economic difficulties and the life style of the last ten years have facilitated the dissemination of fast and hypercaloric nutrition; these nutritional habits cohabit with the visual culture: a body that fit within the parameters fixed by the media becomes an important parameter to produce, more or less, self-confidence or social acceptance.
These two reality can cohabit in the daily life of the youths only because of the extremes, from one side they increase the eating disorders related to maniacal control of body weight, on the other side they increase the consumption of hypercaloric food, junk food full of preservatives and artificial sweeteners instead of friut and vegetables.
The main scope of this project is to enhance the youths consciousness compared to the nutrition and regular exercises importance, as foundamental parameters for a good physical and psycological development. The aim is to prevent the rollout of the psycological and physical difficulties related to the eating disorders as bulimia,anorexia,obesity or overweight.
Another scope is to oppose an increase of that part of the population defined NEET: we think that meetin some professionals that have followed careers related to personal care ( nutritionists, personal trainer, sport trainer, psycologist, yoga teacher...) can help youths to understand employment opportunities that some training programmes and some personal passions.
To develop these targets, it will promote a program of activities based on an active and participatory methodology, with an approach that facilitates the involvement and the expressive possibilities of all participants. During the early stages of preparation to the interchange and during the week of meeting, through discussion groups , workshops and specific groups activities, the young people will be able to experiment, analyze and discuss some daily wrong habits that are harmful to the mind and body , reflect and experience how it is possible to change their habits to improve the relationship with their body and how to become a positive example for other young people about how nutrition and physical activity may be important not only physically but also psychologically. In parallel, the type and method of operation of the assets will facilitate the learning of communication skills, conflict resolution and decision-making in groups.
In general, during the week of interchange, young people, as well as discuss and relate to the topic related to food and quality of life, will share new ways of managing meals and daily physical activities in order to experience practical alternatives on how to eat and what to do during the spare time, with greater awareness of the messages their body sends, to define positivity or harmfulness of certain practices.
The comparison between different cultures in a context of daily sharing will facilitate the use of a common language and enhance listening skills and communication of young people, as well as help to enhance the diversity as an improvement of the possibilities of response and perspective in front of common issues.
In general, we hope to facilitate the internalization by the participants of some basic skills on how to better manage some aspects of their daily lives, making them aware to a greater focus on physical health in relation to their psychological well-being, making them adults less inclined to lifestyles harmful for their health. The meeting with professionals on health at 360° could help the participants to understand the relationship between formal and informal training and employment opportunities; the young people will meet some people who have made of their passion their job and we think they will be able to explain how this passage has been possible only through commitment and perseverance in pursuing the aims of continuous learning.
Another result that we propose is the creation of informal networks of contacts at European level that will extend the relational possibilities for all participants, setting the stage for future shared . Another aspect that we hope to promote through the use of the Youth Pass and the deepening of the various actions brought by Erasmus + is the empowerment of participants consciousness of the existence of public structures in Europe and of the existence of programs that are an opportunity to improve their quality of life and their formal and informal training.