P4 Skilled and socially inclusive region
4.1. More people benefiting from stronger Central Baltic communities
Central Baltic
01.09.2017 - 31.08.2019
€271 286
€207 984
ENDED. The overall objective of the MUCH MORE project is to contribute to improved social inclusion and health of middle-aged men with a past addiction problem, who want to stay away from alcohol. While in general the health of men is worse than women, the middle-aged men, after heavy alcohol use, experience several vulnerabilities, as their social and working life ties have suffered. The public services face challenges in providing a complex life guidance for this difficult-to-reach target group. There is lack of low-threshold, attractive and empowering activities for men that focus on manual work or trips to nature and at the same time provide health and life advice.
The project will develop an intervention model, which combines do-it-yourself and nature-based activities with social and working life counselling in peer-groups. Furthermore, the training concept and project experience will be spread among health and social professionals. As a result, men should be better prepared to reunite with the society and their families.
Turun Kaupunki
Country: FI
Partner budget: 28.075 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 21.057 EUR ERDF
Itämeren alueen Terveet Kaupungit ry
Country: FI
Partner budget: 58.895 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 44.171 EUR ERDF
Sininen nauha ry
Country: FI
https://vssininauha.wordpress.com/
Partner budget: 68.560 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 51.420 EUR ERDF
Rīgas domes Labklājības departaments
Country: LV
Partner budget: 45.198 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 38.419 EUR ERDF
Stickan, En krismottagning för män
Country: SE
Partner budget: 70.558 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 52.919 EUR ERDF
Expected results
- middle-aged men with the past addiction problem engaged into the social and working life counselling and health promoting activities (at least 40 men in 3 cities engaged),
- developed and tested an intervention model engaging men into the activities and empowering them to reunite with the society,
- the professionals motivated to work with the difficult to reach target group through the training programme and new activities provided (at least 10 professionals in 3 cities),
- new activities organized and piloted in the 3 cities. They include nature- and do it yourself-based activities in the peer groups, with the site social and working life counselling and health promotion information. The activities will continue for a year.
- cooperation between organizations, NGOs and services established and/or strengthened.
The project tackles a challenge of a low social and working life activation of middle-aged men with the past addiction problem, who are also resistant to the health promoting information. The unhealthy lifestyle and multiple vulnerabilities bring the target group at risk of social exclusion. This, with the activities focused on reactivation and reunification of the men with social and working life, the project directly contributes to the programme result indicator.
The community of middle-aged men with the past addiction problem often solely includes men with low education and low income. It is definitely a group that needs improvements. The lives of middle-aged men with past addiction problem are not separated from the lives of their families and society, who worries about their health and lifestyle. Thus, the project does not only bring the change to the individual men but also to the wider group of their families, friends and colleagues. The project will develop and pilot the activities, which can be used by the city administration’s social services as well as NGOs to reach out to a bigger amount of men after the pr