The 2nd NCD Youth Conference took place from August 29th to September 1st, 2022 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is an international conference, which was attended by more than 80 participants from all over Europe and broader. The event brought together public health experts, youth workers, youth leaders and young people interested in health. The main theme was “Health Literacy in the context of NCDs”.

Participants improved their level of health literacy and had the opportunity to improve their competencies in the field of youth health. The acquired skills are now used by the participants in their professional life, as they were empowered to carry out health literacy activities for young people ( research, preventive programs, health promotion projects, companies…). The knowledge also contributed their private lives; greater awareness of a healthy lifestyle, how to implement it in their local realities and environments, how to reduce the risks of non-communicable diseases, and much more.

The conference was also a practical example of how to organize a healthy and alcohol-free event.

Participants gained important connections from the youth and public health sectors, which will help them establish important further activities in the local environment. In this way, the conference significantly influenced the strengthening of the professional network among the participants, which is often insufficient. The participants were also presented with an example of good practice from the “Because Alcohol is not Milk” project and other activities carried out by the Slovenian NCD Alliance. The support and financing of the event was made possible by the Erasmus+ program and the European Youth Foundation.