young people

22
Mar
2022
Call for participation: Collection of case studies on genuine participation of children and young people

Call for participation: Collection of case studies on genuine participation of children and young people

The UNESCO Chair has launched a call for participation to collect case studies of successful projects and initiatives on how to involve children and young people in improving their health and wellbeing. The collection and analysis of case studies is part of a global initiative on genuine participation of children and young people in health promotion. The case studies will help us to improve, test and implement models and approaches for children’s and young people’s genuine participation in the future. They will be included in a publication, edited by Professor Didier Jourdan, chair holder of the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education, and colleagues. Everyone who is involved in or has experience with initiatives and projects that actively involve children and young people in promoting their health and well-being is invited to contribute.

For more information download the Call for participation or visit the dedicated webpage.

We would be grateful if you could share this call for participation with your relevant contacts and networks.

Posted by Didier in News
22
Mar
2022
UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education and JOGG: joining forces for a Lifestyle Transition

UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education and JOGG: joining forces for a Lifestyle Transition

Press release – The UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education and JOGG are combining forces to put a Lifestyle Transition on the agenda of national and international policymakers. A Lifestyle Transition for and together with today’s young people. A healthy future demands cross-domain cooperation focused on creating a healthy environment and a healthy lifestyle. Something which does not end at national borders.

Unhealthy environment

A healthy future begins with a healthy younger generation. Among children and young people who grow up in a healthy environment. But at the moment that environment is far from healthy. Everywhere children go they are constantly being bombarded with messages to eat both unhealthy food and too much of it, while they enjoy less and less physical exercise. On top of which the differences in health between those from poorer backgrounds and those who are better off, are only growing. The result has been a huge increase in diseases of affluence, including among children. Together with all the adverse effects that this has, both for the individual and for society.

Joined action for a Lifestyle Transition

“The present lifestyle crisis demands action. Action to narrow the health gap and improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people,” says JOGG director, Marjon Bachra. “We need to move towards a society where being able to have a healthy lifestyle is the norm. But we can only achieve that by taking a holistic approach. One which embraces all domains and sectors. Something on which both JOGG and the UNESCO Global Health & Education Chair agree. It is high time for a Lifestyle Transition.”

From today JOGG and the UNESCO Chair will support one another on the road to creating a healthier society, both nationally and internationally. The active involvement of children and young people themselves plays an important part in this. For example, the JOGG Youth Health Community is supporting the UNESCO Chair with an international project aimed at actively involving young people in creating a world which is healthy and pleasant to live in. Not just because participation is their fundamental right, but because it is also vital if the interventions to improve health are to be effective.

About JOGG – Healthy Youngsters with a Healthy Future

JOGG is a driver of the Lifestyle Transition in the Netherlands. The organisation has developed and facilitates a worknet which connects more than 200 Dutch municipalities and roughly a hundred other partners in society, fundamental and applied research and the business community. It is described as a ‘worknet’ because all the parties are working to achieve this. Based on the integrated JOGG approach, together they are working to create a healthier environment for the young, in policy and in practice. An environment in which it is easy to eat healthy food, get sufficient exercise and relax.

About the UNESCO Chair for Global Health & Education

The UNESCO Chair for Global Health & Education is a UNESCO Chair associated with the Clermont Auvergne University in France, with Professor Didier Jourdan as chairholder and Goof Buijs as manager. The UNESCO Chair works globally to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention, targeted mainly towards young people and aimed at lifelong learning. The emphasis is on creating the right conditions whereby children and young people can take more control of their own lives, as individuals, as members of their community and as world citizens.

Posted by Didier in News
31
Jan
2022
Webinar Implications of adultcentrism on the health of children and adolescents in Latin America – 17 February 2022

Webinar Implications of adultcentrism on the health of children and adolescents in Latin America – 17 February 2022

On 17 February 2022, 16.00 – 17.00 CEST / 11.00 – 12.00 AST, the UNESCO Chair and WHO Collaborating Center Global Health & Education, the University of Puerto Rico, and the Ana G. Méndez University will organise the webinar: Implications of adultcentrism on the health of children and adolescents in Latin America. The webinar will be held in Spanish.

This webinar aims to explore the implications of adultcentrism on the overall health of children and adolescents in Latin America. To this end, a conceptual definition of adultcentrism will be presented, focusing on its ideological, economic and political dimensions, explaining its effect on child and adolescent health. Various regional examples of how the health of children and adolescents is undermined as a result of adult centred views will be presented. Then, the speakers will present how the framework of child and youth citizenship can help us to overcome the impact of adultcentrism on health. Finally, they will point out specific contributions aimed at renewing the framework of health promotion with this age group.

The speakers are:

  • Dr. Iván De Jesús Rosa, Lecturer in Social Work, Ana G. Méndez University, Puerto Rico
  • Dr. Elba Betancourt Díaz, Lecturer in Social Work, Ana G. Méndez University, Puerto Rico

The moderator is:

  • Dr.Marinilda Rivera Díaz, Puerto Rico. Coordinator of the Doctoral Programme in Social Determinants of Health at the Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Social Sciences, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico.

The speakers will explore the following questions:

  1. What are the implications of adultcentrism for the health of children and adolescents in Latin America?
  2. How can the framework of child and youth citizenship help us to overcome the impact of adultcentrism on health?
  3. How does our work contribute to the renewal of the health promotion (research) framework? What are the priorities in the field of health promotion?

Zoom registration link. Registration is free of charge. The link to the webinar will be sent to you after registration.This webinar will also be streamed live on our YouTube channel

More information.

Posted by Didier in News
31
Jan
2022
Article – An analysis of alcohol industry-funded school-based youth education programmes

Article – An analysis of alcohol industry-funded school-based youth education programmes

While the tobacco and fossil fuel industries have used youth education programmes and schools for decades to disseminate product-friendly discourses, ideas and values favourable to their positions, there has been no systematic research specifically on youth education programmes funded by the alcohol industry.

The article published on 12 January 2022[1] provides a detailed review of three school-based youth education programmes on alcohol consumption and health harms.

The analysis shows that the educational materials are limited to a restrictive understanding of the problem and its causes, focusing on personal responsibility and moderate alcohol consumption. Peer pressure and “bad choices” are cited as causes of the problem, with little or no mention of alcohol industry marketing or other practices.

All programmes present alcohol as a product that young people should learn to consume ‘responsibly’ as adults, thus promoting familiarisation and normalisation of alcohol consumption. The discourses also rely on selective presentation of harms, including misinformation about the risk of cancer. The research was limited to an analysis of teaching materials and further research is needed to explore their impact on youth, teachers and wider social norms and discourses.

This study thus reveals considerable conflicts of interest in the implementation of alcohol education programmes in schools (intermediary) funded by the alcohol industry. These programmes are intended to educate young people about the harms and consequences of alcohol consumption, but they primarily encourage moderate and ‘responsible’ drinking, focusing on individual behaviour and choices. These programmes do not empower children and young people to understand and think critically about alcohol and to protect them from alcohol-related harms.

The authors warn that children and young people are being exposed to such conflicted and misleading materials. They call for urgent attention from policy makers, practitioners, teachers and parents, and to end the use of these industry-funded resources in schools.

Read the article

[1] van Schalkwyk MCI, Petticrew M, Maani N, Hawkins B, Bonell C, et al. (2022) Distilling the curriculum: An analysis of alcohol industry-funded school-based youth education programmes. PLOS ONE 17(1): e0259560. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259560

Posted by Didier in News
26
Oct
2021
Join the SDG4Youth Network

Join the SDG4Youth Network

Call for applications for young leaders, 18-29 years old, who are actively working to contribute to the Education 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with youth/student networks.

The SDG4Youth network aims to include young education activists in shaping global education policies through engagement in the multi-stakeholder SDG 4 Education 2030 High-level Steering Committee, while establishing the network as an accountable and representative youth and students platform. 

Around the world, young people are driving change and claiming fundamental freedoms and rights; improving conditions for them and their communities; as well as opportunities to learn, work and participate in decisions that affect them. Young people have placed education as a key concern and challenge affecting their lives.

Creating an SDG4Youth Network was born out of the recognition that young people are key partners and actors in creating a better future for all through education in their countries and communities and should have an equal seat at the decision-making table. As such, SDG4Youth will have a strong emphasis on co-creation with youth and students, by involving young people from the start of the initiative network to shape on how they would like to see the network developed, operationalized and sustained. The network will also forge strong links with the regional youth and education initiatives and strategies.

More information about the initiative

More details on criteria in the sign-up form. 1 November 2021 is the deadline for the first intake.

Posted by Didier in News
25
Oct
2021
UNICEF Report – The State of the World’s Children 2021

UNICEF Report – The State of the World’s Children 2021

In my mind – Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health.

UNICEF recently published a report on the mental health of children around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the mental health of a generation of children. But the pandemic may represent the tip of a mental health iceberg – an iceberg we have ignored for far too long. 

The State of the World’s Children 2021 examines the mental health of children, adolescents and their caregivers. It highlights the risks and protective factors at key moments in the life course and analyses the social determinants that influence mental health and well-being.

In addition, the report calls for commitment, communication and action as part of a comprehensive approach to promote good mental health for every child, protect vulnerable children and care for children facing the greatest challenges.

Click here for an interactive view of data from the report

The report is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

For parents

Click here for tips and resources on how to talk to your child about mental health.

For young people
Click here for tips on reaching out, providing support and breaking the stigma around mental health.

Posted by Didier in News
15
Oct
2021
Online pre-conference Genuine Participation and the Transformational Potential of Health Promotion – 10 November 2021

Online pre-conference Genuine Participation and the Transformational Potential of Health Promotion – 10 November 2021

Join the preconference Genuine Participation and the Transformational Potential of Health Promotion – Coronavirus Politics on 10 November 2021 from 9.00 CET. The focus of this pre-conference is to open new perspectives on genuine participation as a means to highlight the transformational potential of Health Promotion. By shifting participation as a mantra to participation as a practice this pre-conference aims at establishing a stronger focus to inclusion as part of health-for-all-policies. In this session we will explore different perspectives to the future of the transformational potential of health promotion focusing on the global and the national level.

Next to these objectives, we wish to create a space that supports international networking among professionals and researchers interested in advancing participatory community-based public health interventions.

The pre-conference is organized by the EUPHA Health Promotion section, UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education and International Institute, University of Michigan during the 14th European Public Health Conference (Glasgow 10-12 November)

For more information and registration

Posted by Didier in News
06
Sep
2021
Involve children and young people in assessing the impact of school closures on their wellbeing and developing strategies for post-COVID-19 schooling

Involve children and young people in assessing the impact of school closures on their wellbeing and developing strategies for post-COVID-19 schooling

Article published in MDPI on 5 September 2021

Nearly 200 countries have implemented school closures to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Although these closures have seemed necessary, there have been serious concerns about their effects on the well-being of children and adolescents. To truly understand the impact of these closures on children’s and adolescent’s well-being, and their suggestions for the future, it is important to adopt new approaches to collecting data that will ensure the right of children and adolescents to be heard on issues that affect them.

Current methods of assessing the impacts of school closure are dominated by the collection of information about children and adolescents, mainly using existing wellbeing indicators and related questionnaire surveys. While these sources of information are important, they provide only a limited understanding of how children and adolescents have experienced school closure, especially if they have been produced using measures developed solely by adults. There is a need for information produced by children and adolescents themselves, which may need to go beyond existing theoretical frameworks of wellbeing that predate COVID-19.

By gathering information from children and adolescents, the authors of this paper[1] show that we can more effectively guide the development and evaluation of public health policies and identify solutions to mitigate the negative impacts of school closures, or to recognise and respond to any positive effects.

Read the article

[1] Paakkari, L., Jourdan, D., Inchley, J., & Torppa, M. (2021). The Impact of School Closure on Adolescents’ Wellbeing, and Steps toward to a New Normal : The Need for an Assessment Tool Update? Adolescents, 1(3), 360‑362. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1030027

Posted by Didier in News
08
Dec
2020
Soft launch: ‘Using the revised International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education to steer CSE policy and programmes’

Soft launch: ‘Using the revised International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education to steer CSE policy and programmes’

On Wednesday 9 December 2020 at 9.00 am New York time and 3.00 pm Paris time UNESCO and UNFPA will organise the soft launch of the Global Partnership Forum on Comprehensive Sexuality Education. The dialogue will be held in English.

The webinar will be opened by Vibeke Jensen, UNESCO and Benoit Kalasa, UNFPA. Patricia Machawira, UNESCO East and Southern Africa Regional Office, Maria Bakaroudis, UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office, Maki Akiyama, UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office, Jessie Freeman, Plan International and Jona Turalde, IPPF youth advocate, Philippines will be part of the panel. This soft launch will be the first in a series of online dialogues to launch and establish the Forum and enable participants to interact.

The first dialogue will deepen how the revised International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education, and the principles contained therein, have been applied as well as some good practices. It is also an opportunity for participants to exchange views on the expectations and the development of the Forum as a community of practice.

For registration click here

Posted by Didier in News
10
Nov
2020
Webinar 18 November: Neoliberal globalization and migrant children’s right to health in Latin America

Webinar 18 November: Neoliberal globalization and migrant children’s right to health in Latin America

On 18 November 2020, 16.30 – 17.30 CET, 11.30 – 12.30 AST the UNESCO Chair and WHO Collaborating Center Global Health & Education and the  University of Puerto Rico will organise the webinar: Neoliberal globalization and migrant children’s right to health in Latin America. The webinar will be held in Spanish.

Speakers from Puerto Rico and El Salvador will present a brief analysis of how globalization, through neoliberal policies, has worsened the living conditions of Latin American children, expelling them massively from their territories in search of survival strategies. Furthermore, the speakers will share with the audience the current state of migrant children in the region and the challenges that arise in the countries of origin, transit and destination to guarantee the right to health of this population.

During this webinar the experts will answer these questions :

  1. How has neoliberal globalization exacerbated migration processes in the Latin American region, particularly among women and children? (Dr. M. Rivera, Puerto Rico)
  2. What is the status of migrant children in the region? (Dr. M. Rivera, Puerto Rico and Dr. A. Hernández, El Salvador).
  3. What challenges do migrant children in the region face in terms of the right to health? (Dr. A. Hernández, El Salvador)

To participate: Zoom link.

This webinar will also be broadcast live on our YouTube channel

Posted by Didier in News