During autumn months Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association participated actively in events and seminars organized by partners in Baltic Sea Region. BRHCA is also involved in the preparation of EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) flagship project on alcohol and drug prevention among youth in BSR.

On 27 October 2010 Seminar on project development and funding, organized by Nordic Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) was attended by representative from Association. The Seminar was an event organized as a NDPHS contribution to the European Union Strategy for Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). It aim was to help the interested stakeholders develop project proposals and identify potential funding sources. Moreover, the seminar offered an opportunity for the participants to voice and discuss their views what the focus of the future funding activities in the Nordic Dimensions area in the field of health and social well-being should preferably be. These suggestions are supposed to be taken into consideration by the NDPHS when possibly developing its position paper regarding funding for health and social well-being in the next programming period.

Association was invited to the event to discuss its three project concept notes with potential donors and partners. One of the three mentioned concept notes refers to the EUSBSR flagship project on alcohol and drug prevention among youth in Baltic Sea Region (BADY), in which planning the Association has been actively involved. The coordinator and lead partner of the BADY-project is organization STAD (Stockholm Against Alcohol), associated with Karolinska Institute from Stockholm, Sweden. BRHCA supports the lead partner in preparation of application and by involvement of partners from Baltic States and Russian Federation. Moreover, the Association is willing to take part in the implementation of the project (planned for years 2012-2014) as the leader of Work Package ‘’Communication and dissemination of the results’’.

Until now, two partners meetings were organized: in Riga (30.09-01.10.2010) and in Moscow (10.11.2010). Next meeting is scheduled for mid-January.

The Association intends to strengthen the cooperation with partners from Nordic Dimension area in 2011, by contributing to the preparation of EUSBSR flagship projects and participation in events, seminars and conferences organized in the region.

More information on Nordic Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being on the website: www.ndphs.org