euro net’s latest European project “Localize It!” involves 11 European partner organizations and aims to support 22 municipalities in developing and implementing individual local alcohol strategies.
In May 2017, the partners met for the project kick-off in Luxembourg. During the meeting the partners familiarized with their tasks and are now prepared to start the implementation in their regions.
To start with, each country/region will chose two municipalities, if possible one urban and one rural. The next step is a “Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR)” in each municipality which will collect information on the attitudes concerning alcohol consumption of young people and obtain a comprehensive picture of the current situation in each municipality. Specifically, several key persons will be asked when and in which situations young people consume alcohol in a risky way in their quarters/districts/municipality and where the effects of the alcohol consumption can be seen. Specific groups with high risk consumption will be focused as well.
The RAR results will serve to raise the awareness of key actors in the municipality on the problem of underage and young people’s heavy episodic drinking in their municipalities. Furthermore, the areas with the highest need for action will be defined which will be taken into account for the individual alcohol strategy.
In parallel to the RAR, good practices for individual and structural alcohol prevention will be collected. These programs, measures or interventions will be the basis for the individual action plans in every municipality. The collected good practices will be presented and discussed during a European conference in March 2018.
In order to disseminate effective approaches for local alcohol strategies Europe-wide, a manual will be developed and published towards the end of the project.
Besides the project partners, representatives of the Consumer, Health, Agriculture and Food Agency (Chafea) and of the DG Sante participated in the kick-off meeting. They pointed out, that only two projects in the field of alcohol-consumption got funding which clarified their strong interest in “Localize It!”.