FSA takes small steps to encourage young people to eat well, get active and feel good

• Printed resources are also available for schools to order, to help them bring their challenges to life. The free resource pack includes wall charts and stickers to track progress, certificates and posters. These can be ordered through the website: www.direct.gov.uk/smallsteps4life.
• Get Set is the official London 2012 education programme for schools and colleges across the UK. The Get Set website contains a whole host of free resources for 3–19 year olds, which explore the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect and the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality. Get Set also provides additional resources and education programmes to enhance learning in a number of additional topics and subjects, including healthy and active lifestyles.
  Schools and colleges can register on Get Set to gain access to additional resources, and those who join the Get Set network gain the right to use the London 2012 education logo and will also receive priority access to exclusive London 2012 rewards and opportunities. Visit www.london2012.com/getset to find out more.
• The London 2012 sustainability programme covers five key themes: climate change, biodiversity, waste, inclusion and healthy living. The London 2012 Sustainability Plan, published in November 2007, outlined London 2012’s commitment to ensuring that the 2012 Games are managed in a way that remains economically viable, but is also environmentally sound, socially responsible and ethical. Visit www.london2012.com/sustainability to find out more.
  The London 2012 Inspire programme is run by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is a broad participation programme spanning sport participation, education, sustainability, volunteering, and business opportunities and skills. By awarding the Inspire Mark, London 2012 recognises the new opportunities that are being created to inspire young people and encourage the whole of the UK to join in.
  London 2012 has extended the Inspire Mark for the programme to recognise the pioneering work of all the project partners to encourage young people to choose healthier lifestyles in the run up to and beyond the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• SmallSteps4Life is a key part of the Change4Life movement. Change4Life is a groundbreaking campaign bringing government, community groups, health workers, teachers, and businesses together. Our shared goal is to help everyone eat well, move more and live longer. For more information visit www.change4life.com
• The National Children's Bureau's (NCB) mission is to advance the well-being of all children and young people across every aspect of their lives. As a membership and infrastructure support agency for the children’s sector in England and Northern Ireland, NCB provides essential information on policy, research and best practice for members and the members of its wide range of partnership bodies, which operate under charitable status and are based in its London headquarters. For further information visit www.ncb.org.uk
• The Food Standards Agency leads on SmallSteps4Life across the UK with support from current partners including the Department of Health, Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Youth Sport Trust, National Children’s Bureau, Change4Life, National Healthy Schools Programme, the School Food Trust and London 2012 organisers.
• The four partners that will work on local engagement with vulnerable young people are:

The Prince’s Trust
The Prince’s Trust helps change young lives in the UK through practical and financial support, developing skills as well as confidence and motivation. Since the charity was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1976, it has helped over 600,000 young people across the UK and continues to support 100 more every working day.

The Prince’s Trust will deliver SmallSteps4Life through 11 of its in-school xl programmes in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The Trust’s xl programme helps young people who are facing difficulties at school, including those at risk of exclusion. A key objective of this project will be to produce a toolkit and case studies that can be used as guidance for engaging disadvantaged young people in healthier lifestyle activities.
www.princes-trust.org.uk

National Organisation for Pupil Referral Units (soon to be known as 'short stay schools')
Covering up to 40% of PRUs and working across England and Wales to, among other issues, encourage the development of creative and innovative approaches in working with young people with a range of complex social, emotional and special educational needs. A toolkit development approach will be taken, based on individual behaviour, the emotional and social needs of the seven PRUs involved in England.
www.shortstayschools.org.uk

ContinYou
A community learning charity working across the UK using learning to tackle inequality and build social inclusion. ContinYou promotes learning opportunities to people of all ages who have gained the least from formal education and training. ContinYou will look to develop a ‘How to Guide’ for SmallSteps4Life to support teachers and the wider workforce in schools with extended services in the East Midlands and across a cluster of Community Focused Schools in Wales. SmallSteps4Life training will be developed to support a peer education approach linking to year 6 transition activities in secondary schools.
www.continyou.org.uk

Fairbridge West
Fairbridge work with young people, aged 13–25, who face multiple issues ranging from social exclusions and homelessness to antisocial behaviour, often without family support and existing on the margins of society. Fairbridge supports young people to develop the confidence, motivation and skills they need to turn their lives around. Fairbridge West (Bristol) plan to develop and trial SmallSteps4Life activities with 40 young people who would not have had the opportunity to be engaged with the website. A toolkit of good practice and training will be developed, with the plan to roll out to other youth workers using the Fairbridge model.
www.fairbridge.org.uk

• SmallSteps4Life evolved from a health challenge pilot programme. The Food Standards Agency commissioned the NCB to work with Kent Healthy Schools to pilot the ‘Health Challenge’ approach in three primary and three secondary schools in Kent. This aimed to help young people, their families and whole school communities initiate healthy lifestyle changes. This ran for four weeks in spring 2008, and over 1,000 students took part in both group and personal challenges, including walking a mile a day and trying new healthy foods. The main findings of an evaluation report on the Kent pilot programme showed that:
  • four months after the end of the Health Challenge, over 70% of primary school students and 65% of secondary school students who completed questionnaires reported that they were still going with their health challenges
  • all schools intended to repeat the programme in future, and all primary schools were continuing some activity throughout the school year
  • students’ intentions to keep up healthy activities were high – with over 60% of primary school participants and just under half of secondary school participants reported sustained changes in activity, which they intended to keep up
  • schools felt the programme had linked well with the healthy schools agenda and kept health high in the priorities of school life

The full evaluation document can be found at the following link: www.foodbase.org.uk