Monday 16 May - A healthy and health literate youth

Having a healthy and health literate youth is a challenge and a priority for all countries across the world, and the European Region is no exception. The European Youth Year is an opportunity to shed light on the projects, joint actions, and activities that are being developed by citizens, researchers and policy makers alike, in order to achieve our goal to have a healthy and health literate youth across all the Region.

Sub themes

These are subthemes to give you ideas and to stimulate your imagination. They do not limit the scope of the day themes. If you are having doubts on which day you should organise your event, email us at euphacommunications@eupha.org and our team will be happy to help you.

• Peers-to-peers education and prevention
• Nutrition and physical activity 
• Health literacy skills and curricular development across (sexual) education
• Digitalisation and wellbeing: social media and apps as supports to health literacy and adoption of healthy practices 
• Educational approach: making health media sources credible
• Building healthy lifestyles in a healthy environment
• Social connections in times of remote education
• A preventive approach to psychoactive substances
• Health literate health systems: young people as co-creators of their own health / taking young people as equal partners
• Meaningful youth engagement and leadership 
• Adolescents taking the lead: priorities for adolescent well-being 
• Infodemics and adolescents health and wellbeing 
• Curricular development in the European Region - embedding health literacy

Key messages

• “Young people are not only tomorrow’s leaders, they are leaders of today. It is essential that young people be provided with a seat at every table and that they are actively engaged and listened to.” (Source: WHO/Europe Regional Director Hans Kluge)
• “Young people need to be engaged meaningfully to be involved, not only in decisions that will impact their future, but also recognized and acknowledged for the knowledge and leadership they bring to make the decisions of today.” (Source: WHO/Europe Regional Director Hans Kluge)
• Meaningful youth participation and leadership cannot be solely driven from the students’ perspective. Opportunities need to be provided to give young people and youth organisations the chance to meaningfully engage in policy making at all levels. An enabling environment and relevant evidence-based programs need to be established for youth to benefit. (Source: YPYP Forum)
• Education must be seen as a protective factor. Schools provide a setting where more than 95% of children and adolescents in the European Region can be reached. (Source: WHO)
• To acknowledge the unique needs of adolescents and to ensure they can access comprehensive sexuality education and adolescent friendly SRHRs services, ensuring health literacy is improved to avoid negative health and social consequences in young people. (Source: EUPHA)

Do you want to get involved in this theme?

Is 'A healthy and health literate youth' a theme that appeals to you? 
Whether you are an institution, a health professional or an ordinary citizen interested in one of this theme, you may organise your own event(s). Submit your event here. 

If you are unable to organise your own event, spreading the word is also hugely important. Have a look at the media toolkit to share the message of the European Public Health Week 2022. 

Of course you can also join one or more of the activities and events. By participating, you will get interesting insights and contribute to the success of event hosts! 

Partner of the Monday: ASPHER

We're collaborating with the Association of Public Health Schools of the European Region (ASPHER). 
Together we will offically kick-off the European Public Health Week and the first theme of the week: A healthy and health literate youth. 

Join this kick-off event.