The Relationship between Outdoor Life and Mental Health
-- a project of the Nordic Environment Program
In the autumn of 2005, the Norwegian Government launched the project
"Innovation and Co-operation in Northern Europe" to mark their taking over
the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2006. The following
aim was put forward as one of several measures that were part of the environment program:
By drawing on the experience of local communities, research and key
individuals amongst other measures, a platform will be established for the
work of the Nordic countries on the relationship between outdoor life and
mental health.
The Aims of the Project
With this as background and starting point, the Nordic Council of
Ministers' Environmental Working Group on The Nature, Open Air & Cultural
Environments (NFK) together with the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment
financed a project for 2006/2007 with the following staged goals:
1. To create an overview of relevant public and voluntary sector
institutions, research, key individuals, projects and reports and
establish a network in the Nordic countries that are of relevance to the
primary goals of the project.
2. To plan and implement a Nordic conference on the subject in the autumn
of 2007 at Sem in the Municipality of Asker (Norway). Researchers and
officials involved in the areas of outdoor life and public health will be
invited to meet practitioners from the two relevant areas of professional
expertise (representatives of organizations, medical personnel from
individual institutions and municipal health services amongst others.)
The co-operative element will be emphasized by inviting representatives
from the user's side (clients/patients) as well.
3. The conference will end with a concluding phase where a broadly
constituted Nordic consensus group will be encouraged to support a policy
note/declaration - based on the material from the two previous phases.
This will form the actual platform.
Research
Research is an important part of the Nordic project. The aim is to build
up a Nordic researchers' network. We further wish to investigate the
possibility of building up a larger Nordic research project or research
program in the area. In addition, there will be a paragraph on research
in the policy declaration that the current phase of the Nordic project is
intended to conclude with. We also aim to collect good scientific
articles and bibliographies on this website. We are keen to receive
articles/bibliographies that can be put onto the site.
Other Information
The website Outdoor Life and Mental Health contains the following kinds of
information: reports and summaries, overviews of networks, links and
activities.
The site is under development, and we are grateful for any information,
advice or reports that might be of relevance.
If you require any further information, please feel free to contact us!
| Adress: | NaKuHel-sentret, Semsveien 168, Asker | |
| Telefon: | 66 98 75 50 | |
| Fax: | 66 98 75 51 | |
| Internet: | www.nakuhel.no/FriluftOgPsykiskHelse | |
| E-mail NaKuHel: | post@nakuhel.no | |
| E-mail Øyvind: | soerbroe@online.no | |
| Tlf:.Øyvind.. | 90 91 86 66 | |
| E-mail Espen: | espen.koksvik@md.dep.no | |
| Tlf: Espen: | 22 24 58 22 | |
| E-mail Martin: | martin.vanar@gmail.com | |
| Tlf:.Martin | 90 68 63 61 | |