Healthy lifestyles in urban environments: Youth moves, Youth grooves!

AsociatiadeParintiIonitaAsan(coordinator)has asamainpurposethepromotionofeducation-al activities for young people. Its members believethatschoolaloneandthemethodsappliedintheofficialeducationcurriculadonotprovideallthenecessaryskillstoyoungpeople,norawiderangeofpracticalknowldgeandabilitiesneeded in life.Thus,theassociationreachesits objectives by organizing different kinds of events:contests, festivities and projects, aiming to involvestudents, parents, teachers, andothermembersof thecommunity.Moreover, theassociationprovidessupporttoschoolmanagementintheirowneducationalprojectthroughactivepartnerships.

Les Eco Liés is an association that is involved with anaudienceof youngpeopleon the issues relatedtopersonalandcollectivecommitment to thechallengesofsustainabledevelopmentandtheenvironment.Theassociationaimsto promote the expertise and citizen expression of youth,together with the global and individual impacts of theiractionsinfavorofecologicaltransition.Thevaluesofitsactionscontributetocollective‘bienvivre’andlaytheessentialground-work for the practice of citizenship (exchange of ideas,dialogue,discoverypracticesofothers,scientificthinking).Ineverydaylife,theorganizationimplementsactionsfordiffer-entaudiencesandondifferentthemes.www.lesecolies.com

>>>> The Pa rt n e rs

Viaje a la Sostenibilidad is an indepedent, environmentalistandsocialorganisationbasedin Zaragoza, Spain. Its main objective is to empow-er youngpeople to engage in amaking societymoresustainable.Theassociationpromotesculturalexchangeand mutual understanding between young people byorganisingawareness-risingactionswithtalks,meetingsandgraphicmaterials.Viajea laSostenibilidadcommits itself toestablishingan international network about bio-construction, perma-cultureandgreeneconomy. It is increasingly involvedin theErasmus+programanddetermined topromotemeaningfulprojects.www.turismo-sostenible.net

TheSystemandGenerationAssociationwas established in 2008 in Ankara, Turkey. It aimsat helping young people integrate in society, encouragingtheir entrepreneurial spirit, helping them acquire skills andsupporting the cooperation between international institutions.S&Gcaresabout:increasingeconomicgrowthandefficiencyof production, promoting sustainability that cares for socio-economicneedsandplanningbymeansofproblemanalisys.S&Gconsidersco-workingculturethebestwaytoreachthesetargets-throughcombiningEU-madesystemsandthecreativityofTurkishcitizens,especiallytheyouth.www.systemandgeneration.euwww.nesilfest.com

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The Pro j ect < < <<

Healthy Lifestyles in Urban Environments: Youth Grooves, Youth Moves! is a Youth Mobility project under Key Action 1 of the Erasmus+ program. The project was coordinated by Asociatia de Parinti Ionita Asan Caracal from Romania in partnership with three associations from Spain, France and Turkey. The project aimed at encouraging young people from urban environments with ages between 14 and 22 to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Young peoples’ daily activities are becoming more and more digitalised and the interactions between peers increasingly virtualised. This brings higher exposure to and influence of advertising and mass media on eating habits and leisure choices. Youth living in an urban setting has less knowledge nowa-days of the provenience of their food and the influence of the environment and seasons on nutrition. Couple this with the availability of fast-food and the lack of cooking classes and we are sure to have bad nutritional choices. The project proposed to counteract these effects by touching upon 3 objectives:

encouraging the participation of young people in sports activities. Sports are essential to the harmoni-ous development of the body. Tranforming physical exercise into a daily or weekly habit brings positive impact. increasing the interest on healthy eating of young people. Knowing what and how to eat is essential to making the right choices in terms of a balanced diet. encouraging the active particiation of young people in ecological transition. Being aware of the connection between the environment and one’s body brings the necessary knowledge for improving health and leading a healthy lifestyle.

>>>> The Yo uth

Whoarethey,theyouth?Wefoundoutby: Carryingdifferentdiscussionswithseveralyouthgroups Consultingthepartnersaboutthetargetyouthgroupstheyworkwith ResearchingseveralofficialreportsonyoungpeoplelifestylesinEurope

Thus,theprojectbroughttogetheryoungpeopleaged14to22.Duringthisperiodoflifetheyaremostinfluenced by the changes in our societies and the nature of interpersonal interaction. Living ina digitalized world, in cities with less and less green spaces, going to schools where classes aremostlyheldindoorsandhavinglittletimeforsportsinthecurricula,youngpeopleneedalternativeslearningexperiences.Thatiswhytheprojectwasdesignedasaself-directedlearningprocessaimedatimprovingdailyhabitsandsupportingthedevelopmentofpersonalskills.Moreover,collectiveknowledgesharingandpeermentoringwasencouraged,inordertocounterbalancethevirtualcommunicationtrendamongstyouth.

Rightfromthebeginning,thepurposeofencouragingyoungpeopletospeakupandshowwhattheyknowhasbeenachieved.Theydon’tonlyneedtobetaught,buttheyalsoneedtobeencouragedtobecomecriticalthinkers,expresstheiropinionsandsharetheirinnervalues,concernsabouttheirfutureandtheirinbornneedtoshapeahappylifeforthemselves.

Thescenewastheirs!Fromyoungparticipantswhoneededtobegivenalternatives,theybecameyoungactorsshapingtheirownfuture,oneideaatatime.

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If you want to fly,

fly!

Nonformal Intercultural

Personaldevelopment Fun

The activities which put a wide smile on our faces revolved around eating habits, the influence of the media on youth lifestyles, practicing sports anytime anywhere, the provenience of food, cooking, responsible consumption, ecological transition, financial education, school gardens and many other peer learning experiences.

The project aimed at: Involving the participants in sports activities Creating a network of young people who can be multipliers for healthy lifestyles Creating awareness on nutrition and healthy eating habits Discussing current issues related to ecological transition

The young participants were stimulated through non-formal education methods in order to support and improve transversal skills, competences and attitudes such as: team-building, problem solving, facili-tation, presentational skills, communication, entrepreneurship and creative thinking, self-esteem and empathy, tolerance, mutual understanding and intercultural communication.

And that’s not only theory! Although it might seem like a lot, we put things into practice! The activities brought a sense of community and envisioned a collective learning process, with an emphasis on shared responsibility. That’s why we didn’t wait for somebody to prepare everything for us but took care, in shifts, of the coffee breaks, cooked ourselves two big dinners, interacted with the students, danced and laughed with the kids in the school yard, played guitar, organised a Haloween party and shared our movie night with the young people living in the dormitory.

Live interaction, hugs, respecting each other’s differences and building a common ground based on our similarities - they are all part of leading a healthy lifestyle. It’s not only about the body and the mind, it’s also about the soul. You may say we are dreamers, but we bet we are not the only ones!

What h a p p e n ed? < <<<

Fun

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>>>> Li fes ty les

Haveyouevertriedtounderstandwheredoestheyouthlifestylecomefrom?Haveyoueverthoughtaboutitinamulticulturalgroup?

Well,that’swhatwedid!First,wewantedtounderstandwhatdoeslifestylemeansowetalkedaboutinterests,opinions,behaviours,cultureandwelookedatallthefactorsthatinfluenceone’slifestyles.Fromthecountrywelivein,thefamilyinwhichwegrewup,toourownpersonalvalues,attitudes,preferences-weexperimentedfarandwideinordertobringyouthefollowingbreakingnews:wearenotthatdifferentafterall!

Moreover,ourcommonknowledgepointedtowardstheMedianotpromotinghealthylifestyles Welivesurroundedbygadgets Wehavetoomanysocialmediaaccounts Wespendmostofourtimeconnectedtothevirtualworld.

Live life in style

a healthy lifestyle!

How canwe not give in to themediaattacksellingus unhealthyproducts, formatting our valuesabout what’s cool and what’snot, shapping our opinion onwhat gender is and how weshouldlooklike?

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Luckily,weareawareofitandwecanchangethesituationby: turningoffthetv loggingout spendingmoretimeoutsidewithfriends puttingourphonesawaywhengoingout

Hereisawaytokeepyourselffromtouchingthatphonewhengoingoutwith friends!Putallyourphonesonthetablescreen-down.Thefirstthatpicksitup(incomingphonecallsareanexception)paysthebill!Conversationissuretobejolly!

Don’t forget, there are two essentialingredients: creativity and collectivework!

Ok, let’s be honest about it, it’s notthateasytologout(yes,wearetalkingabout facebook here!), but whenweareonline,wecanatleasthaveapos-itiveimpact.

Healthyselfie!Takeapicturepromotingahealthylifestyle,postit,tagafriendtochallengehim/herdothesameandenjoythechainreaction!Donotforgetthehashtag

Wecanpromoteahealthylifestyle!How? By taking small yet sig-nificant steps for our group,ourschool,ourcommunity.Westarted by analysing and de-constructing famous ads, af-ter whichwe created our ownposters&no.1hitjingletopro-motehealthyhabbits.Watchit! #healthylifestyles

Li fes ty les < < <<

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>>>> Sp o rts a ny t i m e a nywhe re

Traditional Balkan dancing is sure to get the blood flowing!

Have you ever heard of a Hora, Sarba, Brasoveanca? If not, then you should definitely revise your music playlist and get cracking at those moves. You’ll be needing a big group of people who are willing to hold hands in a circle and hop away to the rythm of the music. Ideally, bring a coreographer along or the ask that Romanian colleague of yours in school if his parents still know how to dance sarba, you are most likely not only to get dance lessons, but also a small party orga-nized on the sides, food and all included!

Bodies are not just the means of transporting our head to school!

We all should benefit of education who trains our entire body, not just from the neck up... Dancing, moving through space, jumping, playing games, hitting the ball – all are creative ways which stimulate our muscles, our brains and our sense of community. So we started and ended each day and each activity with a way to get energised!

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Spo rts a ny t i m e a nywhe re < < <<

Baloon tag You’ll need: many players, organized in 4 teams one baloon / player (each team gets adifferentcolor one piece of string / player (approx 25cm) aspacelargeenoughtofitallplayers yet small enough to keep them close

Assignacornerof thefieldandacolorto each team. Give each player a baloon according to the assigned color of their team.Thebaloonsshouldbeinflatedandtied with the string, after which it should be attached to the right ankle so that it hangs of the side of the leg (approx 15cm of string between leg and baloon).

Say START and watch as the teams start popping each other’s baloons with the sole purpose of being the last colored team standing! Watch out for relentless strategies and surprizingly flexiblemoves!Atleast10minutesofguaranteed fun that you can take with at parties, school, gym class, weddings, the park...

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>>>> He a lt hy e a t i n g

Fastmaybeconvenient,butslowismoreenjoyable!Howmanytimeshaveyoudreamtofeatinginthosefancyrestaurantswherethebillmightcostyouanarmandaleg?OrmaybebeingthewinnerofMasterchefisyourthing...Regardlessofwhatyourfoodfantasiesare,thereisonegoodnews:youhavealltheingredientstobecomeyourownchefathome!

Haveyourowncollaborativefoodstandoffathome!Inviteyourfriends,designyour3coursemenuandstartcooking.AskyourfamilytobethejudgesofyourcareerasyoubecomethemostappreciatedFamilyChefinyourneighbourhood.Incorporateprinciplesandknowledgethatgetsyoucookinghealthyandresponsiblefood,suchas:thefoodpyramid,diversifyingyoursourcesofproteinandmineralsandusingonlylocalandseasonalproduce.

Hereareoursuggestions,guaranteedtogetthemulti-culturalsparkgoing!Splitinto4teamsandtryoutthismenu.

Starter: Gazpacho sensacional

1 Kg 1 x3 x

x 1

1/2

x 1 to taste1/410

Main: Imam Bayildi Dessert:

pandispan cu visineTo drink:

Jus de fruits

Where does our food come from and why?StrawberriesfromTurkey,lemonsfromSpain,cabbagefromRomaniaandtomatoesfromFrance?Waitaminute,mostofthemcangrowinmybackyard!So,howdidtheygethereand,mostimportant,musttheytravelthousandsofkilometersuntiltheyreachmyplate?Wetookapeekatallthesequestionsandcameupwithsomeprettywildstoriesinvolvingourdailyfood.

The p roven i e nc e o f fo od < <<<

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Separate 6 eggs. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt till they foam. Gradually, incorporate 1 cup of sugar.

Mix egg yolks with 3 spoons of oil. Add to egg foam. Then add 1 cup of flour, mixed with baking powder. Pour mixture into tray

and add sour cherries.Bake!

Ovento180degrees

Leave 30min to cool. Servewith yogurt, almond flakesandmint.

Half the eggplants, pull out theseeds, put them in a tray withwater and olive oil, cover withtinfoilandbakethem.

Stuffing:Blendonions,garlicandparsleythenpourinheatedoliveoil.Stirwell.Repeatfor4tomatoes.Whenreducedbyhalf,addcorianderandsalt

Take the eggplants out, fill themandreturntoovenfor1h.Takeouttinfoilandleavefor15minextra.

Apple + Pear +Banana

Mango + Yogurt + Sugar

Red Fruits + Mint + Ice

Pineapple + Mint

Orange + Melon + Ginger

Watermelon + Strawberry + Basil

Avocado + Red fruit + Ice

Banana + pineapple + kiwi

>>>> Res p o ns i b le c o ns um pt i o n

Withrightscomesresponsibility!Foreducation,justiceordemocracytoexistwe,ascitizens,mustactivelysupporttheirimple-mentation.Butwhathappenswhenweconsume?Dowemakethebestchoicesandhowdothesechoicesaffectusandthepeoplearoundus?Takealookattheconceptsbelowandtrytofindoutyourownanswers.

TheEcological Footprint is ameasureof humandemandon theEarth’s  ecosystems. It is astandardizedmeasureofdemandfor resources thatiscontrastedwiththeplanet’s ecological capacitytoregenerate.Itrepresentstheamountofbiologicallyproductivelandandseaareanecessarytosupplytheresourceshumans consume,andtoassimilateassociatedwaste.

That’showmanyplanetswewouldneedifeveryoneonEarthlivedlikeus,

theEuropeans!Forthewholeglobalpopulation,wewouldneed

theregenerativepowerof

1,5 planets

2,6 Terra(s)

FindoutifyouconsumelikeaEuropean

byvisitingfootprint.wwf.org.uk/

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Circulareconomy

Acirculareconomyisanalternativetoatraditionallineareconomy(make,use,dispose)inwhichwekeep resources in use for as long as possible, extract themaximumvalue from themwhilst in use,thenrecoverandregenerateproductsandmaterials.Thismodelaimstoadapttonature’sowncircularprocesses.Aswellascreatingnewopportunitiesforgrowth,acirculareconomywill: reducewaste drivegreaterresourceproductivity  deliveramorecompetitiveeconomy betteraddressemergingresourcescarcityissues inthefuture helpreducetheenvironmentalimpactsofproduction andconsumption

GlobalClimateChange

Acontroversialtopicoflate,itisdefinedasamajorchangeinweatherpatternsacrosstheglobeifitlastsforanlongperiodoftime(thousandsto millions of years). The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change(UnitedNations)hasbeenresearchingthecausesofthechangesweareexperiencinginourdays.Herearethelatest:

Human influence on the climate system is clear. Recent emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. Recent climate changes have had widespread impacts on human and natural systems.

Warming of the climate system is here! Since the 1950s we have observed changes never seen over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and the sea level has risen.

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The p roven i e nc e o f fo od < <<<

>>>> Grow y o u r own eco log i c a l g a rd en !

Ifeveryoufelt likeyouwantedtochangeyourrelationshiptotheenvironment,yoursourceof food, the locationofyourbotanics'classorsimplyacquireanewskill in life,welcometo

Keyhole Gardening 101

A keyhole garden is a raised bed gardenwith a compost bin in center. The reasonwhy isreceivedthisnameisbecausefromabirds'eyeviewithastheformofakeyhole.It isverypopularandusedindryclimates,butalsoaverygoodtechniquetogrowfoodandimprovesoilliveeverywhere.ItwasintroducedinAfricaasagrassrootsmovementtoteachpoorfamiliestogrowfoodoninfertilelandandit'sbeenproventobeasuccess.It'saperfectexempleofhowtoapplypermaculturedesignprinciplesandethics.

Permacultureusesthequalitiesofplantsandanimalscombinedwiththenaturalcharacteristicsoflandscapesandstructurestoproducealife-supportingsysteminthecityorinthecountry-side,usingthesmallestpracticalarea. Careoftheearth(protectyourenvironment) Careofthepeople(lookafteryourselfandaftertheothers) Fairshare(onlytakewhatyouneedandsharetherest)

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* This activity was possible due to the dedication of the association Romania in Transition, carriers of the project The Garden in the Schoolyard

Measure 2 circles of the following diameters: Inner circle: 70cm Outer circle: 2.5m

Cut a pizza slice of 60 cm out of your outer circle, leaving the inner circle intact! Put the slice on the north side, so that the sunny side remains for planting.

Build the compost bin out of sticks (1m tall) with a distance between of 5-20 cm. Connect the sticks with some string, Tie them to prevent collapse after the compost is made. Leave bootom acces to com-

posting bin.

Construct outer wall from branches - it should be like a net that keeps the soil in place. Height can be variable. Alterna-tive materials: sand bags, bricks, stones,

straw, adobeFill the compost bin with layers of:

Drainage: rocks, broken pots, wood

Browns: cardboard, leaves, newspapers, dead

plants, strawGreens: grass clippings,

kitchen waste, coffee, teaBrown : Greens ratio = 3:1

Fill the outer circle with materials in layers. Create a slope down-ward to the outer border to better

absorb moisture:Drainage layer: wood, stones

Cardboard for preventing weedsMenure

Compost

Build a roof to prevent too much rainwater entering in the compost bin and stop evaporation during hot periods. If the compost is too wet the nutrients will leak and it will

stink

Mulch (layer of 7-15cm) with straw, hay or leaves to prevent weeds and

evaporation.

Plant Water only inside the compost bin. Moisture and nutrients will go in the garden in the benefits

of the plants.

Add organic material every year.

Celebrate!

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Grow y o u r own eco log i c a l g a rd en ! < < <<

>>>> Do i t y o u rs e lf !

HealthyLIFEstyle!So,whatdowedoafter?!Changeonthego!

An exchange is not over after the oneweek spend together is over! Actually, that’s whenchangeisstarting.Andforchange,youneedaction!Andforactionyouneeddisseminationactivities.Andwhenthoseareover,it’suptoyoutomultiplytheeffectsdaybyday!Becausewebetyourlifehasbeenchangedonceyouhaveparticipatedintoanyouthexchange.Sowhynotchangingthelivesofotherstoo?!

Thedisseminationactivitieshavebeenpreparedbothinadvancebythecoordinatingassociationandproposedtotheparticipants,buttheyhavealsobeenplannedinthe lastdaywiththeparticipants in order to encourage, once again, active participation, empowerment andhorizontality.

Thatiswhyweorganizedastreetactiontogether-itwasmeanttoinvolvethelocalcommunityandsharetheresultsoftheweekspenttogetherinCaracal.It’salwaysagoodideatopassontheinformationandspreadthegoodvibearound.

Webuiltaschoolkey-holegardentogetherwiththeotherhighschoolstudents.Weevenhadvisitors from another highschool in the city! Not to eventmention the partywe organized,wherewedrewinthewhole‘neighbourhood’.Thosewerethedays,myfriends!Let’smakeitabitofhistoryrepeating....

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Aftertheexchangeweekwasover,wecontinuedplanningactions.ThebesttimetoraiseawarenesswasChristmas,sowecameupwiththe“Christmasisfree”eventonthetopicsofresponsibleconsumption,solidarityandrecycling.WhatwedidwastoorganiseaFreeShop,whereeverybodybroughtthingstheydon’tuseanymore,andtheytookotherstheyneed.Wedidn’tusemoney,onlyourwillingnesstogiveupourpersonalstuffandshare!Whatwasleftwhentheshopwasclosedwasdonatedtootherpeopleinneed.AndwealsohadfunintheDoityourselfcorner,doinghandmadepostcardstotransmitourthoughtsofloveandhappiness!

Besides thatwehadmeetingswith other stakeholders,workshops in order to learnhow toorganizefutureactions,onlinecampaigns;andwearestillworkingonconnectingourideaswithotherswhosharethesamevision.Networking, networking, networking!

Didwetellyouabouttheblog?!Wehaveone,setupbyoneoftheFrenchparticipants.There, everybody can contribute withideasandmaterials,makingiteasytokeepincontactandshareinformationfromalocal to a European level. Check it out!http://youthmyg.blogspot.fr/

Do i t y o u rs e lf ! < < <<

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Andbecauseitwasaninternationalexchange,wearenowplanningfutureprojects

andcommonactions.Meanwhile,don’tforgetyoucanalsodothings.Smallstepsarebetterthatstandingstill!

So,gathersomefriendsto:watchamovieonresponsibleconsumption

plantonyourbalconyrecycle

startanecologyclubinyourschoolcookyourownlunchbox

dosportsdancemoreofteninfrontofyourmirrorgetoutofthehouseandsocialise

rideabikeWearesureyouhaveplentyofideas,butwhateveryoudo,don’tforgettoshareyourknowledge,connectactionsandgetothersinvolved..

>>>> Do i t y o u rs e lf !

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ERASMUS + i s aweso me! < < <<

TheErasmus+programaimstosupportactionsinthefieldsofEducation,Training,YouthandSport for the period 2014-2020. The project Healthy Lifestyles in Urban Environments: Youth moves, youth grooves! was fundedunderKeyAction1-MobilityProjects.Erasmus+providesgrants forawide rangeofactionsandactivities in thesefields.Thepro-gramgivesopportunitiestostudents,trainees,staffandvolunteerstospendaperiodabroadto increase their skillsandemployability. It supportsorganizations towork in transnationalpartnershipsandtoshareinnovativepracticesinthefieldsofeducation,trainingandyouth.ThenewSportactionsupportsgrassrootsprojectsandcross-borderchallengessuchascombatingmatch-fixing,doping,violenceandracism.

TheEuropeanCommission,DGEducationandCulture,isinchargeofthepolicies related to thefieldsofEducation,TrainingandYouth.Formoreinformationabouttheprogram,toreadpolicydocumentsandanoverviewoftheopportunitiesoffered,pleasevisittheErasmus+website.

So,ifyouwanttogetinvolvedinErasmus+projects(andwehighlyrecommendyoudoso!)gotoaYouthCentreinyourcommunity,searchforgroupsorYouthNetworksonfacebook,googlemoreinformation,askpeople,gogettrainedsothatyoulearnhowtowriteErasmus+fundingproposals;usetheinternetinyourfavor,notagainstyou!Onceyou’redonewithresearchingontheweb,gooutanddosomething!

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#healthylifestyles

Feb2015

Youthmoves,Youthgrooves!(Erasmus+KA1)

This brochure does not represent in any way the official position of the European Commission. The responsability regarding the corectness and coherence of the information presented lies with the initiators of this material.

Fundedby