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Stay Healthier Outside
Stay Healthier Outside
Start date: May 18, 2016,
End date: Sep 17, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
"Stay Healthier Outside" develops in two distinct phases: the training course, "Adventure to Start", and the youth exchange "Adventure to Live". The training takes place in Bari, Italy, from the 8-15 July; the exchange in Gombori range, Georgia, from 20-29 August 2016. "Stay Healthier Outside" involves 27 participants for the training, and 42 participants for the exchange. They will come from the EU (Italy, Romania, Poland, Turkey) and EECA region (Armenia, Lebanon, Ukraine, Georgia). SOF NGO (Italy) and ICPI (Georgia) promote "Stay Healthier Outside" in order to foster youth workers’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in preparation and development of outdoor activities related to good practices of a healthy lifestyle (1st stage), and to stimulate youngsters in participating and disseminating these kind of activities among youths, moreover growing their consciousness on the topics (2nd stage). We consider outdoor activities useful, joyful and challenging tools for conducting a healthy lifestyle. During The project, participants will experience wild life (overnight open-air, building shelters, cooking on fire), sportive outdoor activities (rafting, climbing, river trekking), forest games, performative arts (storytelling, video making) and formative sessions (first aid, orientation). Participants will also get aware of several aspects on the healthy lifestyle (balance between food and movement, safe practice of sport) and will be motivated to reflect on their personal and social lifestyle while being encouraged to improve it. More precisely, during the training course, Adventure to Start, youth workers will be challenged in experiencing several outdoor activities that can be inspiring for their future commitments related to the topic. They will learn how to use outdoor opportunities for improving the status of health; enhancing their knowledge on healthy lifestyle and methodologies for working on it with youth; stretching their mind, body and sociality; attending activities with the double perspective of the participant and the facilitator; creating meaningful networks operating in the field of youth; boosting team work and cooperation; and sharing experiences in the field of health and outdoors, both personally and professionally.One participant of the training per country will be a group leader during the youth exchange. Leaders plan and implements 2 days of activities during this second stage. They define them during the training, with other participants, and outline them in details during an on-line work that takes place before the exchange. This not only creates linkages, knowledge sharing and logical continuity along the flow of "Stay Healthier Outside", but also gives participants in the training course the concrete chance of performing as facilitators and practicing their planning and leading competences during the exchange. One more youth worker per country can attend both stages, as ordinary participant.Adventure to Live is a stimulating outdoor camp that gives participants several inputs related to healthy lifestyle and outdoor practices. Objectives of the youth exchange include, but are not limited to increased respect and care towards their health; the experience and importance of being in nature as an important component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle; stretching of the mind, body and sociality; motivation and input in reflecting on one's personal level of lifestyle and competencies in outdoor activities. We will show participants that, without special lessons and lectures, it is possible to gain competencies on how to live well with the help of outdoor activities, while enforcing the will of youngsters in enrolling in healthy lifestyle practices and outdoor activity and to become promoters of these among their personal and professional networks. Youth workers in the training course and youngsters in the youth exchange attending "Stay Healthier Outside" can be part of an important social change that is needed by all societies – taking responsibility for care of personal and general health and doing it through outdoor activities. Ideal participants we look for are youth workers enrolled in outdoor and healthy lifestyle projects willing to increase their competencies and learn new methodologies and methods of work and youngsters willing to make a difference in their lifestyle and interested in healthy and outdoor actions. Strategies, methodologies and methods of work during both stages will be non-formal education. In addition, also informal education will play an important role. Activities will vary from group to individual, from moving to staying, from practical to talkative, in order to satisfy all learning styles and to stimulate participants completely. Participants will be considered an active part of the project and will be protagonist of its realization.