make in action toronto charter - zeit!raum · 2016-05-12 · make in action toronto charter...

Rete regionale di Psicologia dell’Adolescenza

Be Healthy Charter for youthsMake in Action Toronto Charter

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Be Healthy Charter for youthsMake in Action Toronto Charter

“Physical activity promotes wellbeing, physical and mental health, prevents disease, improves social connectedness and quality of life, provides economic benefits and contributes to environmental sustainability” (Toronto Charter, 2010, p. 1). Investing in physical activity of youth reduces the burden of diseases and promotes health in youth. In addition, these investments will contribute to improve the quality of life and the environment.

Be Healthy Charter is a complementary document to the Toronto Charter for Physical Activity (GAPA, ISPAH, 2010) target to youths and written by them and by youth workers, developed inside a “Be Healthy” project (2013–5648/013–001YT7PDPA7) a Youth in Action European Union co-founded project in 2014-2016 involving five European partners (Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden). “Be Healthy” mission is to create innovative health opportunities for youths and Be Healthy Charter wants to be a tool for policy makers to improve their health promotion activities and for youth workers to train young facilitators on the topic of wellbeing and physical activity (www.behealthyeuproject.eu).

Why physical activity? (Three reasons from “Toronto Charter”)

1. Physical activity is a powerful investment for people’s health. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of chronic disease, mortality such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, breast and colon cancers, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, depression e.g. Physical inactivity also contributes to the increasing level of childhood and adult obesity. Physical activity leads to healthy growing up and social development from children reduces risk of chronic disease and improves mental health from adults. 2. For sustainable development, promoting active modes of travel such as walking, cycling and public transport can reduce harmful air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, which are also positive side effects of physical activity. Urban planning, architecture, design and redevelopment that aim to reduce dependence on motor vehicles, can also contribute to increased physical activity, particularly in those developing countries experiencing rapid urbanisation and growth. Increasing investment in active travel provides more equitable mobility options.3. For the economy, physical inactivity contributes substantially to direct and indirect health care costs and has a significant impact on productivity and life expectancy. Policies and actions that increase participation in physical activity are a powerful investment in preventing chronic diseases and improving health, social inclusion and quality of life, as well as providing benefits for economic and sustainable development of countries throughout the world (Toronto Charter, 2010).

“Be Healthy” goal is to promote psychological and physical wellbeing, increasing knowledge and competences on physical activities, health and to prevent non-communicable diseases. Target groups involved are vulnerable youth, with socio-economical, physical or mental disadvantage. To realise that, “Be Healthy” contributed to build community, partnership, social competences and individual skills to improve health literacy. Health literacy implies the achievement of a level of knowledge, individual skills and confidence to take action to improve personal and community health by changing personal lifestyle and living conditions (WHO, 1998). The “Be Healthy” project has developed three area/levels of correlations and determinants to promote physical activity of youth. Even if we present them separately, they are closely related to each other.

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1. Community determinants: 2. Social determinants: 3. Individual determinants:

European, national and local policy to support young people’s physical activities with community engagement and youth participation.

Social skills to improve coherent contexts, integrating family, school and community efforts to promote physical activities.

Individual health literacy and self-consciousness to motivate youth to support regular physical activity.

1. Community determinants

It’s possible to describe health as a dynamic and evolving process of environment adaptation, in which the classic health determinants (social, physical, genetic, economic, access to services, as well as subjective response) complement those related policies and environmental support (reinforce community actions, strengthen public health action, create supportive environment, reorienting services) (Evans and Stoddard, 1990).For community determinants we refer to European, national and local policy that provide direction, support and coordination of the many sectors involved in physical activity promotion (health, education, community, sport associations, workplaces, transport).

At any level all the stakeholders are more effective in their intervention, building common strategy integrating policy and creating “nudges” (Thaler, Sunstein 2008) to facilitate innovative opportunities for youth and to promote community health literacy.

Participation and involvement of people in their neighbourhood/town/ /environment are probably the best way of ensuring that communities become safer, stronger, wealthier, more sustainable, more able to give people opportunity.The terms of participation and involvement can be widened by the term “social capital”.A growing body of research has found that the presence of social capital through social networks and communities has a protective quality on health and minimizes depression (Rocco, Suhrcke, Siisiäinen, Kawachi, Hagen).

Networks among associations, informal groups and community involvement are

2. Social determinants

For social determinants we refer to all relation and communication competences, decision making and critical thought (OMS 2003) supporting active and responsible health behaviour of youth. Interventions which aim to improve young people´s health are most effective when they focus on the skills (factors mediators) of the participants (resource orientation) and when they are consistent with health models conveyed by the family, the school and the community.

a. Social determinants can be implemented through health promotion interventions using non-formal learning settings. Youth experience significant changes with all their senses (“flow experience” Csikszentmihalyi, 1991). Consequently they reflect on them with briefing and debriefing discussions increasing group consciousness about self and others limits. Resources in the end make the experience transferable, through the construction of clear outputs into different contexts.

b. Supporting youth to create innovative health opportunities to develop their social skills as empathy, interact with peers who would normally be outside one’s existing network, learn communication skills, team building capacity, leadership, learn to take and give feedback, improving the feeling of giving back to society, integrity and ethical engagement.“

Be Healthy” good practices are described in the following annex 2.1. Integrational Sundays2. a. Risflecting® method (Koller, Gerald)

3. Individual determinants

For individual determinants we refer to competences like coping and self management (OMS 2003), individual and inner motivation (capacity for initiative, Larson 2000), that are crucial aspects connected to healthy behaviour and regular physical activity. It is not rare for youth to have discontinued sport experiences and drop out of physical activities entering in high school or in work. Self-commitment to leisure time reflects individuals’ development status. During adolescence, leisure time in particular offers the opportunity to explore independence and testing autonomy and self-regulation. This in return, promotes the solution of age typical developmental tasks (Caldwell & Baldwin, 2002).

The personal resources can be implemented by interventions focused on:

a. Health literacy represents the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in order to promote and maintain good health (WHO, 1998). b. Consciousness about the effect of the practice on cognitive processes (increase of attention, learning, memory), on managing stress and anxious situations. c. Consciousness about the effect of the practice on development of personal skills: self-efficacy, autonomy, initiative capacity, capacity to follow rules, learn to manage time, learn one’s limits, learn effort and perseverance, trying new things and stress management.“

Be Healthy” good practices are

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very important to help people to change their habits towards physical activities. Communities ability to create collective events and public spaces to practice sport are fundamental if we aim to change individual habits and create a culture which recognise the significance of physical activities. Public space has not only a physical but also a political and social dimension. Practicing sport in public spaces may for this reason be a way to reinforce relationships in the local context.

To reach the aim of community engagement it is important to use adequate methodologies to create, reinforce and empower networks and to help associations, institutions, and citizens to act as a network.

“Be Healthy” good practices are described in the following annex 1.1. Advocacy: influencing the construction of integrated policies for health 2. Creating “nudges”: economic incentives linked to the use of public transport 3. Promoting health behaviour inside the organisation4. Inspiring other organisations with good health practices.

b. Citybound method 3. Create more public space (or use already existing space) for young people to do sports- and movement activities in an intercultural community free of charge. 4. Workshops for “at risk”-groups that integrate parents as well.5. Sport activities as instrument of social inclusion also in relation to demographic change. 6. Try it IDA7. Solution focus approach.

described in the following annex 3.1. Mind and Body in health: applying non-formal learning to health promotion activities2. Improve youth health . .literacy3. Innotimi®OPERA.

Bibliography

Caldwell, L. L., Baldwin, C. K., Walls, T., & Smith, E. (2002). Preliminary effects of leisure education program to prevent substance abuse among middle school Adolescents. Submitted for Journal of Leisure Research. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience (Vol. 41). New York: HarperPerennial.Evans, R. G., & Stoddart, G. L. (2003). Consuming research, producing policy?. American Journal of Public Health, 93(3), 371-379Citybound: www.citybound-wien.atGapa, Ispah (2010). The Toronto Charter for Physical Activity: a global call for action.Hagen, Angelika: http://www.sozial-kapital.at/Kawachi Ichiro, S.V. Subraman and Kim Daniel (2008) “Social Capital and Health”-A Decade of Progress and Beyond, Springer-Verlag New YorkKoller Gerald (Book) & Guzei Michael (Film) (2012): SPRING UND LANDE (German) Seewalchen am AtterseeKoller Gerald: http://www.risflecting.at/englishLarson, R. W. (2000). Toward a psychology of positive youth development. American psychologist, 55(1), 170.Thaler R.H., Sunstein C.R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness. Yale University Press, Yale.Rocco L, Suhrcke M.(2012) Is social capital good for health? A European perspective. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for EuropeSiisiäinen Martti (2000):Two Concepts of Social Capital: Bourdieu vs. Putnam, Department of Social Sciences andPhilosophy,University of Jyväskylä Dublin, Ireland.World Health Organization. (1998). Health promotion glossary.World Health Organization. (2003). Skills for health: skills-based health education including life skills: an important component of a child-friendly/health-promoting school.

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Annex 1: Community determinants: Be Healthy good practices

Box 1 Advocacy: Influencing the construction of integrated policies for health

Country Italy

Organization ASL TO3 (www.aslto3.piemonte.it)

Target Youth and Youth workers

Main Object

Disseminate good practices and innovative experiences about promoting health in adolescence, creating “nudge” stimulus in the health system and community. Introduce multidisciplinary events in which people can discover different kind of sports and in which experts and stakeholders can analyse the positive connections among different kind of policies (public spaces, formal and non-formal training, prevention of chronicle disease, alimentation, etc.). Maybe annual, national events.

Short description(activities, methods, results…)

The Regional Prevention Plan (Piano Regionale della Prevenzione 2015-2018. D.G.R. 25-1513 del 3/6/15) has been approved. It has been followed by ASL Local Prevention Plans 2015-2018. Four ASL (ASL TO3, ASL TO4, ASL AL and ASL VC) inserted Be Healthy in their local plan in two different programs: Program 1: Piedmont Gained Health: schools promoting health. 1.3.1 Catalogues: Good Practices Promotion and Dissemination (www.regione.piemonte.it/sanita/cms2/prevenzione-e-promozione-della-salute/piano-regionale-di-prevenzione/3476-piani-locali-di-prevenzione-programmazione-e-rendicontazione)Program 2: Community and Life Environment. Guide Lines 2.1.1. Guide lines to adopt Toronto Chart to promote physical activity.

Comments

Working on projects allows opportunities to influence and to innovate the system, but it can also be a risk of being an isolated experience. Being supported by policy strategies innovation will be an on-going process with middle and long time impact.

Box 2 Creating “nudges”: Economic incentives linked to the use of public transport

Country Sweden

Organization Västerås City (www.vasteras.se)

Target Youth

Main Object Improve youth participation

Short description (activities, methods, results…)

Initiative that is developed in Sweden (Västerås) was the institution of free public transport for the young people participating in free activities. This was reserved for the projects target group, to improve their access to these places and to increase their physical activities. This Swedish initiative could be developed at other local levels.

Comments Economic incentives have impact to youth and families, especially with socio-economic disadvantage.

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Box 3Creating “nudges”: economic incentives linked to the use of public sport facilities

Country Italy

Organization Turin City (www.comune.torino.it/sportetempolibero)

Target Youth

Main Object Encourage healthy habits in young people, with attention to socio-economic disadvantage target.


The project PASS15 in its 17 th edition, is addressed to young residents living in Turin, during the year they turn 15. PASS15A, thanks to the collaboration of over seventy sports associations in Turin, is a kind of “passport” to experience completely free all kind of sports: aerobics, tennis, hit ball , rowing and canoeing, archery, field hockey, climbing, hip hop, football, medieval fencing, pilates, martial arts, jump trampoline, underwater hockey, thai boxing, modern dance, Caribbean jazz and more. The PASS15 also entitles young people to discounts at a number of sport events in Turin during the year and offers ten free tickets to the swimming pools in the summer.

Comments Interventions of tax relief have a major impact on target with social-economical vulnerability.

Box 4 Promoting healthy behaviours inside the organisations

Country Spain

Organization FUNDACIÓN GRUPO DEVELOP (www.grupodevelop.com)


Main Object Innovate organisation culture


It is common that people inside the organisations are taking a break, having a coffee and smoking a cigarette. FUNDACIÓN GRUPO DEVELOP introduces “Sport break” during Training Courses and Conferences.

Comments Healthy habits come from easy opportunities, proposed or shared inside the workplace.

Box 5 Inspiring other organisations with good health practices

Country Austria Organization Zeit!Raum (www.zeitraum.org)

Target Youth workers and facilitators

Main Object Sharing and dissemination of good practices, methods and experiences


Perception and recognition as a youth organisation with expertise and experiences in the field of health promotion.

Comments Multiply good experiences and practices at local/regional level.

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Annex 2: Social determinants: Be Healthy good practices

Box 1 Integrational Sundays

Country Spain

Organization FUNDACIÓN GRUPO DEVELOP (www.grupodevelop.com)

Target Youth and youth with disabilities

Main ObjectHealth promotion and integration of the disabled group in our society through an event associated with the sport practice in order to discuss values and learn the need of this group and how they interact with daily difficulties.


This event takes place in Barcelona, people from all over the city are free to participate in a variety of sports guided by sport coaches and health specialists from our organisations.

These events are part of the Barcelona government project “Sports integrate” that works parallel with an international campaign known as “Now We Move” supported by the European Commission.

CommentsThe success of this event would be measured by the number of people that participate, and the proportion of disabled people; trying to get 500 people, 15% of them with some kind of disability.

Box 2

1. Implement the risflecting®method and 2. the Citybound method. 3. Create more public space (or use already existing unexploited space) for young people to do sports- and movement activities in an intercultural community free of charge. 4. Create workshops and offers for “at risk”-groups that integrate parents as well.

Country Austria

Organization Zeit!Raum- Social Profit Organisation, Vienna, Austria (www.zeitraum.org)


Main Object

Reach “at risk” groups, offer attractive opportunities for sports, community building and social well-being. Train youth workers in innovative training tools (Parcours, risflecting®, Citybound, group-dynamics, experience and outdoor-education). Reach political stakeholders and involve them by public-relation events. Disseminate good practices and innovative experiences about promoting health in adolescence, creating “nudge” stimulus in the health and community system.


1. To learn the difference between danger and risk. The model we rely on is the risflecting®Model (see Biblography p.3-4). Risflecting® is an international health promotion approach and is based on the insight that there is a natural human need for ecstatic feelings and risk-taking, which leads to dangerous situations and addiction, unless managed responsibly. Risflecting® teaches (young) people to anticipate and manage risk, as well as to reflect upon their behaviour in order to understand how they can become responsible risk-takers.2. Citybound (see Biblography p.3-4) is experiential education in urban areas.City Bound aims: personality development, social learning – team spirit, learning from experiences, acts and outdoor exercises.3. Use more public space for sport activities: Many youth sport areas have limited opening hours or just allow youth workers from associations to enter the area. With the support of local and regional policies Zeit!Raum managed to open a huge youth sports area in two districts of Vienna (Auer-Welsbach-Park 15th district and Emichgasse 22nds district) and to offer sport activities for around 100 participants each weekend from May till October (2014 and 2015)

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for free (!). The funding was granted by the districts. The participants were generally kids and young people from socio-economically disadvantaged families, who cannot afford training in a sport club.4: Healthy cooking classes and sports. Since 2010 Zeit!Raum offers a project called “FEEL GOOD” that aims at socio-economically disadvantaged children and parents as well, that integrates especially mothers in healthy nutrition, cooking, sport-activities and fosters health-literacy by the use of “Cultural Brokers” native speaking health-trainers with different cultural background.

Comments

All this activities need the funding of the government, or the engagement of civil society-or both. They also need the support of local and community stakeholders, the support of the society and the dialogue between all inhabitants/minority groups of -for example a district. The dialogue has to be multi-lingual and respect the different cultural background of the target groups. The learning settings should be informal and at a low threshold, the young people should first be asked what they really need and what they want to realise - instead of being “forced” to take part in events. The offers should be funny and attractive.

Box 3 Sport activities as instrument of social inclusion

Country Italia

Organization US ACLI (www.usacli.org)

Target Vulnerable youth with addiction

Main Object The main objective is to offer a new opportunity for young people who are solving their addiction problems.


The project is implemented in partnership with the National Health Service for Addictions in Turin (ASL TO1). Some of the young people who are solving their addiction problems are proposed to take part in sports activities (Martial Arts, swimming & water-gymnastic, gymnastic and yoga) for one year. For the first year the costs are incurred by the National Health Service through the project. From the second year, the cost is borne directly by the participant. The project started in 2012 and in three years we have met more than 170 young people with addiction problems.

Comments

The project helps young people to recognise their limits, to improve self-esteem and rebuild social relationships. Facilitating the reintegration into specific local contexts. The US ACLI belongs to ACLI system of Turin provincial, which is an association of social promotion, by various means including sport. It encourages participation and the development of local communities, strengthens individual skills and orientation toward community projects carried out together as a group/association/community.

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Box 4 Try it

Country Sweden

Organization City of Västerås, prevention center (www.tryitida.se)

Target Youth

Main Object Physical activity leads to better mental health among adolescents


Strategies· • Lowered threshold for associations· • More activities – increasing the possibility that young people will find an

activity they like· • This programme is offered to young people at age 10-15. By offering

this programme to the whole community, we also reach those who are socially disadvantaged.·

• We train young people (18-25) to lead the activities, to take care and be role models for the younger people attending the programme.·

• We work in a solution focused framework.

Activities are offered every day of the week during spring and autumn. During the summer Try it offers 2 weeks of daily activities. Almost 1000 young people attended Try it during the period.

Comments

The project gives children and young people the opportunity to find new activities that they enjoy. The project also provides associations the ability to recruit new leaders to their regular activities, which in turn leads to more activities for children and young people in the city.

Box 5 Solution focused approach

Country Sweden

Organization City of Västerås, prevention centre (www.forebyggarcentrum.se)

Target Youth and youth workers

Main Object Improve social skills and leadership skills in young people as leaders and role models.


All our staff work with solution focused method. This approach is based on what the individual/team/organisation wants to achieve, what will be different in life and what is already being done to bring about change. One way to work that is characterised by curiosity about what works, what has been improved and the existing resources. Goals, ideas and concrete steps are related to a desirable future.

This differs from traditional problem-focused approach that is based on what is wrong, why it is wrong and how to get rid of the problems.

Comments This method is supporting youth to develop their social skills, leadership skills and the feeling to be able to give something back to society.

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Annex 3: Individual determinants: Be Healthy good practices

Box 1Mind and Body in health: apply non formal learning to health promotion activities

Country Italy

Organization ASL TO3 (www.aslto3.piemonte.it) and Adolescence Psychology Regional Network (www.regione.piemonte.it/sanita/cms2/prevenzione-e-promozione-della-salute/stili-di-vita-e-promozione-della-salute/957-rete-di-psicologia-delladolescenza)

Target Youth

Main ObjectMaking young people aware of the issues of healthy and active behaviours and to train young facilitators (peer educators) for health promotion in adolescence through the approach of non-formal learning.


Create non-formal learning situation in a formal context (e.g. school, sport team, municipal administration) with groups of young people who voluntarily organise peer initiatives on promoting mental and physical wellbeing through physical activity. Such experiences aimed at the growth of health literacy and the development of interpersonal and individual skills for the adoption of healthy and active behaviours. These have been implemented in different contexts, in secondary school level mainly through peer education activities (ASL TO3, ASL VC). Youth groups have proposed alternative activities to traditional teaching (outdoor experiences of fit walking, stair climbing, orienteering, cooperative games with and without the ball). Alternating moments of reflection, also helped by techniques drawn from mindfulness, autogenous training, art therapy, social theatre, yoga and Feldenkrais Methods®. In sports competitive contexts (USACLI and ASL TO4) have been proposed non-competitive physical activities through cooperative games.

Voluntary youth groups (ASL TO1, ASL TO3, ASL TO5, ASL BI) organised local events in their town to raise young people´s awareness on health issues and to disseminate these: during special town occasion (World Cup final 2014, patron festivity, Turin European Capital of Sport in 2015 - European week of sport). This was also done in collaboration with the municipal administration and with the managers of nightclubs.

Comments

Young volunteers create psychological well-being promotion experiences and target peers with original and innovative working methods. They develop interpersonal and individual skills to support more conscious healthy and active lifestyle.

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Box 2 Improve youth health literacyCountry Slovenia Organization Emonicum Institue (www.emonicum.eu)

Target Youth

Main Object Non formal learning approach applied to promote health literacy


Emonicum Institute developed a health prevention model, which graphically represents each person eight risk factors for health: blood pressure, blood lipids (fats), blood sugar, diet, body weight (BMI), physical exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption. Graphic presentation of health status, their interaction and possible improvements should raise the level of health literacy among youth, empower them to take better control of them and motivate them to healthier life habits and support an active lifestyle. The model can be used in all age groups and supports new initiatives, programmes and standards in integrated care programmes and health promotion.

CommentsThe project helps young people to become better aware of the main health risk factors, improve their health literacy and gain better control of their health.

Box 3 Innotiimi®OPERA

Country Sweden Organization City of Västerås, Prevention Centre (www.vasteras.se)


Main Object Increase participation and make meetings more efficient.


Opera (Innotiimi®OPERA), which is developed by Innotiimi, is a meeting methodology. OPERA combine creativity, structure and involvement with accepted principles of learning and engagement.

The method combines both individual work, work in pairs and in whole group. The words that create the wordmark OPERA are:Own suggestionsPair suggestionsExplanationsRankingArranging

OPERA method works well in different contexts and for different issues and can be used in groups of between 4-48 people. The Innotiimi®OPERA method has been used several times at Be healthy seminars. OPERA is a different and efficient way of working that has helped us to achieve commitment and structures of our ideas.

Comments www.innotiimi.com

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Marzo 2016

make in action toronto charter - zeit!raum · 2016-05-12 · make in action toronto charter...

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