The project “Protect Health While Young 2” is aimed at reducing and preventing youth health inequalities in Sakiai, Marijampole and Vilkaviskis districts. In these municipalities, as in the whole of Lithuania, the situation of youth is characterized by significant problems, such as relatively low assessment of subjective health and well-being, poor mental health, increasing cigarettes, alcohol and drug use, widespread bullying and suicide, insufficient access to healthy nutrition and sex education. The project provides measures to improve the availability and quality of mental health services for youth. The implementation of the JPSPP will be a model for effective cooperation between the health and social sectors. The project will seek to strengthen systematic and coherent cooperation between the health, social, law enforcement and education sectors to solve these issues. The project envisages measures to develop and implement modern curricula, improve intersectoral cooperation for meaningful change in Lithuanian youth, and provide support for mental health promotion and prevention measures, with a special focus on the well-being of youth and their families. The target groups of the project activities are specialists working with youth or parents (social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, public health specialists, special education teachers), parents, youth from 14 to 29 years old. One of the necessary conditions for the Lithuanian economy to become progressive, sustainable, inclusive and for promotion of economic growth is good health of the population. The implementation of the project will significantly contribute to the achievement of one of the national strategic goals of health care – to take care of maintaining and improving the health of youth.
Goal of the project: improvement of youth health prevention and reduction of health inequalities in Sakiai, Marijampole and Vilkaviskis districts.
The project will aim to meet the economic, social and environmental needs of society, both short-term and medium-term and, in particular, long-term, without compromising the well-being of future generations. The implemented JPSPP model will allow to comprehensively solve the health problems relevant to youth, develop healthy lifestyle attitudes, reduce the impact of environmental and social factors on human health, which will save economic resources in the project area (reduce costs of treatment, medicines and health services economic power of the people) and a harmonious social environment and society will be created (reduction of alcohol, cigarettes and drug use among youth, corresponding reduction of crime, increased sense of security in communities).
The project contributes to good governance because:
1. The project will be implemented by combining the human resources, good practices and existing cooperation networks of the three municipalities.
2. The existing need is being met. At the moment, the deterioration of youth health indicators and visible gaps in the areas of healthy lifestyle education and health care are visible.
3. The relevant problem is being solved. The project will contribute to the improvement of the health of youth, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and the development of knowledge about healthy nutrition.
4. The principles of the rule of law, ability and competence will be followed. The implementation of the project will comply with all legal acts regulating the administration and implementation of the project. An administration company with the skills and experience to implement international projects will be used to administer the project.
5. In order to ensure transparency, the goods, services or works procured for the project will be procured through public procurement procedures.
Project monitoring indicators (default results):
1300 people who have received services (person who has received services – a person aged 14-29 who has been provided with JPSPP services and/or a person aged 14-29 who has participated in the activities of the JPSPP coordination center, parents who have participated in educational events. The method of calculation is the sum of 14-29 years old people who have received project services and/or participated in the implemented events/activities. Determined by event/activity attendance records)
4.5 level satisfaction with the services provided (satisfaction with the services provided – evaluation of the services provided by the recipients according to the scale from 1 to 5. The indicator will be determined on the basis of the summaries of regular surveys)
3 JPSPP coordinators trained in case management (JPSPP coordinators of Sakiai district, Vilkaviskis district and Marijampole district will be trained in case management)
3 municipalities implementing the renewed model of youth-friendly health care services in 2014-2021 (Sakiai district, Marijampole district and Vilkaviskis district municipalities participate in the project)
The future of the project:
To solve youth health issues the project will implement 8 JPSPP delivery algorithms to address the prevention of mental health, nutrition, reproductive health, sexuality, obesity and eternal causes of death among youth, and to ensure the appropriate, high-quality and timely provision of these services to youth. To achieve this goal, the project envisages the development of the JPSPP Coordination Center (CC) in Sakiai district municipality ant the establishment of new CCs in Marijampole and Vilkaviskis district municipalities, the establishment of the JPSPP cooperation network in partner municipalities, publicity of JPSPP trainings and camps for target audiences – specialists and youth. Adminsitration of the portal seeks to create an information gathering and communication tool available to municipalities implementing the model, the main functions of which would be: presentation of news, educational materials, various databases, algorithmic situational awareness schemes, awareness raising of target groups through communication and application of game elements. It is planned to prepare and provide information to youth on how to behave and where to go to be healthy or what to do if you have a health problem. In the part of the Portal dedicated to specialists, to place information that enables the more efficient and high-quality provision of services related to health and healthy lifestyle, to provide algorithms and methodologies, information about the institutions providing JPSPP. The JPSPP model developed during the project will help not only to solve health problems of youth faster and more efficiently, but also to assess what services are lacking in municipalities and whether the services provided are easily accessible to youth, i.e. the developed and adapted algorithms for solving youth health problems can also be used as tools to help shape the youth health strategy and at the same time help reduce health inequalities between Lithuanian districts (and regions).