Communities of Practice for Healthy Lifestyle

PROGRAMME, KEY ACCTION

The Knowledge Alliance for Communities of Practice for Healthy Lifestyle aims at developing and sustaining communities of practice (COP) in  order to stimulate innovation and socio-economic development in the area of Healthy Ageing. Promoting Healthy Ageing, and specific ally an Active & Healthy Lifestyle, is one of the biggest societal and economical challenges the EU is facing. A paradigm  shift  from  health  care  and  cure  to  prevention  is  essential  since  the  traditional  ways  have  proven  to  be  insufficient   to  solve  this  complex problem. An impact-driven multi-sector approach is necessary to develop innovative products and services to change this for the better. The KA is composed of higher education institutes and businesses, supported by public authorities, who are accepting the need of co-creating knowledge to stimulate innovation for an Active & Healthy Lifestyle. Together they develop COP that are organised as learning partnerships providing a creative

model for connecting in the spirit of learning and improving key competences and skills in the field. The Consortium comes from 7 EU Member States of which in 5 countries Local COP are developed. A European COP Support Lab and  a European COP Alliance are developed that facilitate the set -up of COP and a sustainable flow of knowledge. An open access Community Knowledge Hub provides pilot-tested formal and informal blended learning material for managing COP and implementing interventions; whilst an entrepreneurs hip competition leads into an intensive programme to develop entrepreneurial skills and stimulate innovation. By linking a strategic European point of view, with practice -based problem-solving through Local COP, the KA applies a unique holistic approach. This allows shifting behaviors to an Active & Healthy Lifestyle, and leads to a more integrated set -up of the sectors behind. The KA marks a milestone for joint implementation of learning and modernizing the concept of Healthy Ageing.