From May 21 to 23, the partners of the Erasmus Sport HL4EU project met for an in-person meeting on the beautiful island of Aegina. The meeting took place within the framework of the 3rd Art and Mental Health Festival. It was held during the European Mental Health Week, and the beautiful setting helped inspire new ideas for our mission: promoting healthier lifestyles through cross-sectoral collaboration.
On the first day, we reviewed the project’s achievements over the past 18 months. A significant milestone was the launch of the Cross-Sectoral Platform of Good Practices. Our partner EIEIM presented a comprehensive analysis of the good practices submitted through a literature review over the last six months. After a thorough data-cleaning process, 78 out of more than 100 submissions were included. This data revealed which sectors are most active in collaborating to promote healthy lifestyles, as well as the types of innovations taking place across Europe.
This analysis provided valuable insights and inspired the partners to continue exploring other promising practices.
Our organization also shared an update on the ongoing Call for Exchange of Good Practices. So far, we have received several submissions from organizations across Europe. These include projects focused on:
- Active cities and sustainable school transport
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Healthy youth development
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Urban planning that supports mobility and well-being
- Nutrition-focused research
While encouraged by the quality of the submissions, we also discussed ways to increase participation.
We were especially inspired by an external presentation about Greece Race for the Cure, a dynamic initiative that gathers over 50,000 participants annually to raise awareness and support the fight against breast cancer through a running event in our country.
Next, our partner IGOTCo led a session on organizing virtual focus groups. These sessions will help us better understand how cross-sectoral initiatives work in practice — what drives success and which challenges need to be addressed.
ENOS followed with a presentation on shaping policy recommendations and setting clear impact objectives for the project.
We received updates from the Project Quality Team (POLIS & ENOS) and from the EuropeActive project coordinator regarding project management and finances.
To conclude the day, we participated in festival workshops that provided valuable insights on how various forms of art can support self-awareness and mental well-being.
Presenting Our Project at the Festival
On the second day, Alina Chebes from the EuropeActive federation presented the Healthy Lifestyles for Europe project at the 3rd Art and Mental Health Festival. The audience included stakeholders from municipalities, health and art sectors, universities, and medical associations. We shared our goals and the lessons learned so far, highlighting the important role of physical activity in mental health.
Η έρευνα δείχνει ότι η φυσική δραστηριότητα μπορεί να ενισχύσει τη διάθεση, την αυτοεκτίμηση και τη λειτουργία του εγκεφάλου, ενώ παράλληλα μειώνει τα συμπτώματα κατάθλιψης και άγχους – συχνά πιο αποτελεσματικά από τη θεραπεία ή τα φάρμακα μόνα τους.
We left Aegina full of new ideas, motivation, and renewed spirit. We are grateful to all partners for their dedication and participation, as well as to the inspiring speakers and contributors of the festival. Together, we are ready to continue building strong cross-sectoral collaborations that support healthier, more active lives across Europe!
Call for Submission of Good Practices
We invite organizations, institutions, and bodies from Greece and other European countries to participate in our initiative by submitting their good practices for promoting a healthy lifestyle through the Cross-Sectoral Platform of Good Practices.
We are looking for innovative actions and programs that:
- promote cross-sectoral collaboration for health and well-being
- encourage physical activity and active citizen participation
- upport mental health through creative approaches
- develop sustainable solutions for healthier communities
- implement policies and practices that enhance quality of life
Your participation will contribute to the creation of a pan-European network of knowledge and experience that will inspire and guide future initiatives for promoting healthy lifestyles across Europe.