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A comprehensive new health toolkit which is suitable for all professionals and volunteers who work with young people has been launched.

Making Health Easy: A Toolkit for Youth Leaders was created with input from expert partners such as the British Nutrition Foundation and has been developed for use in a variety of community settings. 

The toolkit covers health support across the areas of nutrition, physical activity and emotional wellbeing and will be available from the Make Space website free of charge.

The campaign's own youth health champions are working with local health agencies to deliver a healthy lifestyle message to young people in Knowsley and Enfield using the toolkit, which can also help lead to an ASDAN qualification.

19-year-old Helen Forshaw is one of the Make Space for Health champions in Knowsley. She said she was "really excited to be working on such a positive programme".

"The Make Space for Health project is going to help the young people of Knowsley live a healthier, happier lifestyle. It will give them knowledge and information that they previously didn’t have access too and they will be able to share this with their peers, making them the educator. I’m sure we will see a great change in young people’s views on health that will benefit not only them but their future self and family,” she added.

Peter Rogers, Director of National Programmes at 4Children said: "When local resources are being directed away from universal youth services towards more targeted programmes, providing young people with positive holistic health support can present real challenges. I’m optimistic that the Making Health Easy toolkit will be warmly welcomed by anyone who shares our passion for getting young people off to the healthiest possible start in life.”

Making Health Easy will be rolled out in five local authority areas by the end of the year and early evaluations of the programme will be available in November. 

http://www.makespace.org.uk/activities/make-space-for-health/activity_packs