In december 2014, the PRAIS Foundation launches the national program “We are the moving generation!”, foreseen to be implemented over a period of three years and targeting students from the 9th and 10th grades in the high schools from 2 cities: Bucharest and Ploiesti. The program aims to inform and educate adolescents, their families and the general public about the benefits of healthy lifestyle, day-to-day physical activity, and sports.
Between 2009 and 2010 *, the obesity rate among 15-year-olds in Romania was 14% (up from 6% in 2005-2006). The level of daily physical activity among young people aged 15 years is decreasing compared to 11-year-olds (from 20% to 7% for girls and from 32% to 16% for boys), a factor that contributes to an increased risk of obesity due to an unbalanced lifestyle.
Globally **, 2.1 billion people, nearly 30% of the world’s population, are overweight or obese. This number is two and a half times that of adults and undernourished children. Obesity accounts for nearly 5% of global annual deaths. The global economic impact reaches about $ 2 trillion annually, which represents 2.8% of global gross domestic product. If the current rhythm is maintained, by 2030 nearly 50% of the adult population of the globe will be overweight or obese. In this sense, prevention, information and education programs, in a holistic approach, contribute, along with other factors, to reversing this trend.
The program “We are the moving generation!” uses EPODE International Networks (EIN) methodologies, the largest global health promotion network, designated by DG SANCO as “Best Health Promotion European Project”. The PRAIS Foundation is an active member of EPODE International Network, a network that brings together 42 programs with similar methodologies from 29 countries and is based on the Private Public Partnership. The grant awarded by the PRAIS Foundation following a selection of projects organized internationally by the Coca-Cola Foundation this spring will allow the implementation of this new educational project.
“<< We are the generation in motion! >> will provide access to information and will empower over 36,000 teenagers, 60,000 members of their families, and 1,300 teachers from Bucharest and Ploiesti via the online portal and educational and informational materials that will be made available to students free of charge and competitions between high schools. We will promote the harmonious combination of study and access to knowledge and personal development of the young generation with physical activities. Quality time spent with family, friends and colleagues, positive attitude towards the new, knowing and assuming moral values, self-respect and others will be important messages that we want to contribute to the adoption of a harmonious and healthy lifestyle by the younger generation of high school students,” said Silvia Bucur, President of the PRAIS Foundation.
In order to assess the impact of the program, the PRAIS Foundation applied, on a relevant high school sample, a questionnaire that will form the basis of a sociological study on the lifestyle habits of the 9th grade pupils in Bucharest and Ploiesti, whose results are due to be released in January 2015.
All students participating in the “We are the generation on the move!” Program will receive free of charge an educational brochure with information and tips on balanced nutrition and the benefits of daily physical activity. In schools, there will be debates, open lessons and direct activations of pupils, animated by real models for them: remarkable athletes from major sports federations, students from UNEFS, actors, dancers and opinion leaders.
The main channel of information for all members of the community “We are the moving generation!” is the online portal containing articles, studies, interviews and advices from renowned nutritionists, psychologists and athletes. Quizzes, online thematic contests, and High School Competitions will animate students and inform them about healthy lifestyles, the importance of day-to-day physical activity and the adoption of balanced nutrition.
The institutional partners of the project are: Ministry of Youth and Sports, 2 School Inspectorates: Bucharest and Prahova County, 2 Students’ Councils from Bucharest and Ploiesti, Mayoralty of Ploiesti, National Education of Physical Education and Sports in Bucharest, Coaching School „Ioan Kunst Ghermănescu”, Romanian Body-Building and Fitness Federation, Romanian Sports Dance Federation, Romanian Football Federation, Romanian Federation Sports for All.
The institutional partners of the project are: the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the School Inspectorates from Bucharest and Prahova County, the Students’ Councils in Bucharest and Ploiesti, the City Hall of Ploiesti, the National University of Physical Education and Sports in Bucharest, the “Ioan Kunst Ghermanescu” Romanian Bodybuilding and Fitness, Romanian Dance Sports Federation, Romanian Football Federation, Romanian Federation Sport for All.