Erasmus+ Youth exchange 'Oh My Sugar!'

Our organised youth exchange Oh My Sugar! took place in Southern Estonia from 24.07-04.08.2017. It was funded by Erasmus+ programme.

In Europe unhealthy eating habits and sugar overconsumption are big health risks. Many youngsters are obese and get diabetes at early age, but this could be prevented by cutting off unhealthy food and staying away from excessive sugar.

Main goal of the youth exchange “Oh My Sugar” was to make youngsters aware of the unhealthy food they are eating and the excessive sugar they consume daily. To make them think critically about their everiday decisions they make about their food and how their unhealthy decisions will affect them.

Participants were young people who were eager to learn how to be more aware about their eating habits. There were participants from six different European countries (Germany, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Estonia). Youth exchange age limit was 18-30.

During the youth exchange participants discovered the basics of healthy eating. They prepared a healthy daily menu, which was eaten in the nature, developed their group work skills and learnied about other cultures. They did visual experiments about the sugar amounts in food and drinks we consume daily. Also participants were searching for commercials from the city which they think influenced people to consume more sugars and unhealthy food. There were also workshops where they tried some alternative ways to use sugar, like making a body scrub in Estonian sauna. During the youth exchange young people also visited factories which are produceing high sugar level food and drinks. Participants saw how much unhealthy products are produced daily and realized it as a huge health risk for all. During the youth exchange participants made also videos which potentially made other youngsters aware of the amounts of sugar they consume daily and influenced them to make healthier choises through it. Video will be posted to social media to pay attention to the issue.

After the youth exchange we hope that our participants are more aware of the topic, they can think critically about food and what it consists and they can make healthier choices from then on :)

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"This project has been funded with support from the European Commission Erasmus+ programme. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."