The third Regional European Alcohol Policy Youth Conferences (REAPYC), which took place from 24th to 29th of July in Tullamore, Ireland, brought together around 30 participants from various European countries – Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Kosovo, Lithuania, Belgium, Ireland and France.
The main goals were to:
– Raise interest among young people and youth organisations about prevention of alcohol harm and alcohol control policies;
– Promote evidence-based projects and exchange knowledge of good practices for alcohol abuse prevention;
– Empower the participants with the necessary skills and capacities in order to effectively work in the field of alcohol.
The topic of the meeting was alcohol policy within the European scale, but especially the topic of how young people can contribute to a healthier environment and more effective alcohol policies. Young people who participated in the conference will be part of a community of young people promoting the development of better alcohol policies within their national governments. Development of knowledge and skills of the young people was during the REAPYC supported by various stakeholders like Youth Health Organization, Youth Work Ireland, Eurocare and World Health Organization.
During the five days of the conference, the participants discussed (in addition to the state of alcohol policies in individual countries) the availability of alcohol for young people, its limits, as well as the tactics of the industry through plenary sessions but especially during interactive forms like workshops and simulations. The workshop topics were: alcohol policy, advocacy and lobbying: Tactics of the Alcohol Industry, What is Alcohol Policy? or The Role of Stakeholders and many others. Also, the simulation of Global Governance on Alcohol Policy was an inspiring way to understand how this policy works in reality. Participants tried out the role of individual decisive stakeholders in the area of creation and implementation of alcohol policies.
The result of the conference was a strategic proposal that contained several specific goals in the area of alcohol sales and promotion from the perspective of young people. The participants of the conference participated in the creation of a strategic proposal called “Tullamore plan” and agreed to continue its creation as a group of young people fighting for a healthier future for the youth.