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Inspiration for Leisure
Inspiration for Leisure
Start date: Jan 1, 2015,
End date: Jun 30, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
As a general rule, unemployment and health issues go hand in hand and start a vicious cycle: unhealthy people loose their jobs, unemployed people's health degrades resulting in depression which tends to lead to addictions. They are present all over the European Union; we can find the same tendencies of bad health choices, depression and addictions in every country. European priorities include all of these issues, both the EU 2020 Strategy and the Erasmus + Programme emphasizes the importance of promoting healthy and active lifestyles that lead to positive change on many levels: people become healthier, less likely to show signs of depression thus, they become more active citizens.
The project partners all agree that it is essential to address the issues leading to unhealthy lives at a young age. Practical experiences have long-lasting effects: participants gain positive memories, and hands-on experience with the making of healthy choices. This is why partner organizations have decided to cooperate on a Youth Exchange that promotes outdoor activities in an entertaining and interactive way that catches the interest of the youth.
The objectives of this project are the following:
-Give participants a lifelong experience that inspires a healthy lifestyle.
-To show participants the advantages and positive effects of outdoor activities.
-To change participants' attitudes towards sports and other social activities.
-To inspire socially active lifestyle among the youth.
-To lower the obesity rates among the youth.
-To tackle the problem of addictions among the youth (alcohol or drug abuse, internet or game addictions, etc.).
The overall aim of this project is to change the youth's passive mentality to a more healthy and active attitude that contributes to social inclusion, active citizenship and lowered drop-out and unemployment rates on a European level.
The project involves 65 participants who are young people between 16 and 25 coming from various regions of the EU characterized by high rates of health issues (obesity, addictions, etc.). These young people have a strong need for a change of lifestyle to counteract the impacts of their surroundings. They need to have a good example of how healthy life choices are made. In order to lead successful and healthy lives, they have to understand which attitudes are correct, and how to adapt these new lifestyles.
The project focuses on promoting healthy lifestyle to participants, through introducing them to various outdoor activities: each delegation is responsible of showing and teaching a new, creative and entertaining outdoor activity to the others that inspires active lifestyles. These activities include the Danish 'Rundbolt', Frisbee, Pétanque, etc. and an International Leisure Day together with every student of Lollands Produktionsskole, with a great tournament and a celebration.
The envisaged results of the project are healthy, active and inspired young 'health ambassadors' who will go on to spread the healthy lifestyle among their own networks of friends, family, etc. The youth becomes an active European citizen, and it is eager to inspire and motivate their surroundings as well.