Dnipro, June 4 - CSR Ukraine, CSR Development Center expert organization, and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, hold the final ceremony of the pilot program Healthy Challenge - a youth healthy lifestyle initiative. More than 10,000 students, teachers and urban residents were covered by the program activities, which took place in 14 educational institutions of Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Mykolayiv and Cherkasy oblasts.

During April-May, participating institutions implemented healthy activities on nutrition, physical activity, reproductive and mental health. The 10 most active establishments were selected for the final ceremony, and 6 of them were awarded. Winning institutions have received mini-grants totaling UAH 130,000, which will be used to procure sports equipment and materials to create a healthy lifestyle space.

Taras Derkach, Career Hub Coordinator, organizer of the Healthy Challenge, summed up the program's results and highlighted the key outcomes: “The youth initiative for a healthy lifestyle originated as a result of the problems affecting the health of the youth. With the implementation of this Challenge, students began to consume 18% more fruits and vegetables, 6.5% increased contraceptive use, and young people are now more likely to practice relaxation and meditation on improving their psychological health by 6.4%”

Yuliya Novak, Youth and HIV Advisor at UNFPA, thanked the participants and noted: “Supporting youth initiatives and healthy lifestyles is one of the priorities of the Fund. The most important part of the Healthy Challenge program is not winning, but rather participation and the impact and change which the program has brought to the lives of the participants”.

The celebrity guests - experts on healthy lifestyles were invited to the closing ceremony: nutritionist Pavlo Kadaner, sex educator Iryna Kobzyeva, basketball master of sports Mykhailo Zaytsev, who shared their experiences and tips on improving student health.

Dmytro Ivanov, a participant of the "Weighted and Happy" TV show, recommended that young people set goals and choose the right priorities to achieve them: "Do not be afraid to raise the bar to achieve the set goals. There is nothing unattainable in life if you are confident in your goal. Moreover, remember that no diet is a magic recipe, only balanced and healthy nutrition can keep you feel healthy and happy”. At the end of the event, Dariya Hoptsiy, Teenergizer Youth Expert, hosted a workshop on youth reproductive health for participants.

Subsequently, following the final presentation, the jury selected the winners of the Healthy Challenge program. The first place among the universities and academies was awarded to the Prydniprovska State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture (Dnipro), the second – to the Dnipro Oles Honchar National University (Dnipro), and the third – to the Pavel Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University (Cherkasy oblast). Among colleges and technical schools, the first place was awarded to the team of V.O. Zhukovskyi  (Odessa), the second - the V.O. Sukhomlynskyi College of Mykolayiv National University (Mykolayiv), and the third place was awarded to the Smila Industrial and Economic College of Cherkasy State Technological University (Cherkasy oblast).

“Winning the Healthy Challenge was not a priority for us. Over the past four weeks, we, together with students, faculty and city administration, have held over 60 different health promotion activities. This program has made us one big family, which is our most valuable achievement. Some of our students have even given up public transport and now commute on foot. We will continue this wonderful initiative”, said Darya Nechepurenko, Deputy Dean of the Civil Engineering Faculty at the Prydniprovska State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture.

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CSR Ukraine, CSR Development Center - an expert organization in Ukraine that brings together more than 40 large companies, jointly with which it has been promoting the principles of sustainable business and social responsibility, implementing its own social projects, providing consultations, holding seminars and trainings on CSR issues and reporting for both private companies and public authorities for more than ten years. It is a national partner of CSREurope (Brussels, Belgium) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (Geneva, Switzerland). www.csr-ukraine.org

The UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is a leading UN agency focusing on gender equality, reproductive health and capacity building for young people. We work with partners in 150 countries and territories around the world, and since 1997 we operate in Ukraine to promote equality, overcome gender stereotypes, enhance women's opportunities, support equal distribution of household chores, and involve men in raising children. Since 2015, together with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the campaign "4 Hands Happiness" has been launched. More information about UNFPA and our work in Ukraine: www.ukraine.unfpa.org. Follow UNFPA's Twitter and Facebook activities.