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senting the healthy lifestyle of 11–12 -year old children (Presenting the healthy lifestyle of 11–12 -year old children)
Start date: Aug 31, 2005, End date: Sep 29, 2007 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Leisure time and how it is spent are important to the health and well being of children and young people. Quality of sleep, nutrition, exercise and possible abuse of substances also have an impact on health. The purpose of the project was to present the healthy lifestyles of children age 11 to 12 to encourage them to pay attention to their own health and also reduce social isolation. The project wanted to raise discussion about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, to encourage children to talk about it also with adults, and strengthen parenthood, as parents act as role models for their children with regard to lifestyle, values and attitudes. It was also the intention to raise parents awareness of mutual responsibility, as each parent some times will need support. The aim was also to find new ways of cooperation between home, school and youth work to emphasise a healthy lifestyle for 5th and 6th class pupils in Kainuu and Kostomuksha and to support good practices in home and school environment. It was also the intention of the project to draft mutual guidelines for various age groups for the use of schools, homes and youth workers in Kainuu and Kostomuksha. Achievements: The project designed posters for organisations to motivate young people to exercise and pursue hobbies and compiled a list of sports and youth organisations. The youth and leisure time fair, TERVETTÄ MENOA (Healthy Living) was organised jointly with various parties (www.tervettamenoa.fi ), which presented various hobbies, healthy lifestyle and experiences. Schools raised young peoples interest in their daily meals and whether the food was nutritionally well balanced. In connection with the project, five current dissertations were completed on, among other things, exercise, nutrition and drugs. The dissertations can be found in the database of the Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. Guidelines for various age groups were designed in cooperation with Russian partners, which were presented in schools both in Kostomuksha and Kainuu. A drama performance called Ystävän Varjo (The Shadow of a Friend) was composed, based on the initiative of the project, which was written by a young person in Kajaani, who wanted to start a discussion about the problems young people are facing (including drugs), from their own perspective. The performance was recorded on a DVD both in Finland (acted by Finnish young people) and in Russia (acted by Russian young people), with supporting material included. The material can be used, for example, in parental meetings in schools to initiate discussion. Two parental meeting were held during the project in Kajaani and one in Kostomuksha. The instructors wanted to start another project, in which the results of the project would have been actively distributed onwards. There have been no further projects, and the material has not yet been widely used, even though it has been deemed good and useful. The schools have received good feedback, but organising these kinds of health education activities would require additional resources. The results and products of the project have been utilised in, for instance, a coordination project for drug abuse work in Kainuu and in the Perhekeskukset Kainuuseen (Family Centres to Kainuu) project during the years 2006-2008. The town of Kostomuksha has also secured its own financing for its programme, called Terveet elämäntavat (Healthy Lifestyles). The material produced by the project is available from the advice and information centre for young people in Kainuu (see www.kainuupiste.fi ).

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Details

  • 70.1%   77 460,60
  • 2000 - 2006 Euregio - Karelia  (FI-RU)
  • Project on KEEP Platform