Last year, we launched the Icehearts Europe model, which takes the valuable lessons learned from the Finnish Icehearts model and briefly outlines the elements needed to scale up the approach to other European countries. Now grassroots sport and social support organisations can take the first step towards trying out the approach with a new practical implantation guide that is available in six languages.

The Icehearts Europe support programme, as part of the EU4Health-funded project led by ISCA, aims to prevent social exclusion, promote health and emotional wellbeing, improve social skills and build the resilience and life competencies of disadvantaged and at-risk children and adolescents. Icehearts Europe consists of both a mentoring intervention and group sports and recreational activities.

This new resource is tailored to grassroots sport and community organisations in European countries that wish to implement the Icehearts Europe programme to promote the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents living in particularly vulnerable conditions.

The practical guide is full of useful operational tools to guide these organisations through the different implementation phases of Icehearts Europe.

It is free to download at the Icehearts Europe website. The English version is above and the resource is also available in Danish, Estonian, Italian, Slovenian and Spanish.

Full partners in the Icehearts Europe project: ISCA, Icehearts (Finland), EuroHealthNet (Belgium), Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) (Finland), University of Cassino and Southern Lazio (UNICAS) (Italy), University College of Cork (Ireland), the Italian Institute of Public Health (ISS) (Italy), DGI (Denmark), SPIN (Estonia), Fútbol Más Espana (Spain), UISP (Italy) and Sports Union of Slovenia.  

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union not the granting authority can be held responsible for them.