SBS
Step by Step
Priority Axis
Technological and Social InnovationSpecific objective
Social Innovation
Lead partner
The Health and Europe CentreContact
Start Date
13/07/2017End Date
28/02/2022Project budget
4 356 677 €ERDF amount
2 614 006 €ERDF rate
60%About
Common challenge
Men’s health & wellbeing is suffering across the 2Seas area with high & increasing suicide/depression rates. In Kent (PP2) suicide is the highest killer of men aged under 45 and in Schilderswijk (PP6) depression is at 21% of the male population. Men visit their GP on average 20% less than women and delay seeking medical help indicating a level of social exclusion or inertia. Preparation work has highlighted:
- a demand for community based activities to improve health and wellbeing and reduce vulnerability
- a need to address social cohesion by intergenerational skills transfer to bring more people into the labour market (male unemployment in Wattrelos is 25.2% and the French unemployment rate nationally is 10%). http://ec.europa.eu/health/population_groups/docs/men_health_leaflet_en.pdf.
World Economic Forum research indicates that areas with higher employment tend to have lower suicide rates.
Overall objective
Main outputs
Cross border approach
Main Achievements
SBS has continued very strongly in 2019, with ongoing positive collaboration and enthusiam.
Two two-day meetings were held (including Steering Groups), and one further one-day meeting, all involving all PPs.
The "third generation" model of Sheds was finalised in the summer, and is being used by all delivery partners to roll out more Sheds (and being retrospectively updated in existing Sheds, who had been using the first draft). Whilst it has been finalised to delivery O1.1, it will be kept under review, and a legacy version will be published at the end of the project, taking into account comments from evaluation partners PP4, who remain constant companions on our SBS journey.
The models relating to health (O2.1) and employment (O5.1) continue to be developed, and the supporting O4.1 Health Champions programme (of training) was completed on schedule early in the year.
Work is almost complete on a digital tool - O6.1 - which will support the health and employment dimensions, and connect users. It will be finalised early in 2020, with demo versions already having been examined by partners.
Other highlights mentioned by one or more partners include:
- appointing relevant experts to assist with setting up Sheds and engaging with the target groups;
- extending the network of stakeholders;
- producing a new website (PP3 - mensactivity.net) and a social media campaign to engage local men with the project;
- promotion at national and international events and festivals, generating more interest
Please note that as PP10 had a structural/legal entity change in 2019, it became PP11. Where possible, this report refers to whichever entity was active at that time, but as the work and staffing on SBS was not affected by the change, it has not always been possible to draw a clean line where one started and the other stopped (other than for the purposes of financial claims) so references to PP10 or PP11 may occasionally be interchangable.