LET'S MAKE A CHANGE
TOWARDS A MORE ACTIVE AND HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE OF OLDER PEOPLE.
WHAT IS BASE
Reconnecting Older People to Society
Through Active Neighbourhoods and Peer Support
BASE – Back to a Healthy Society is an EU-funded initiative that empowers older people to support each other in living active, healthy, and socially connected lives.
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By training Active Neighbourhood Buddies and Mentors, BASE strengthens local communities and creates welcoming pathways for older adults to reconnect with movement, confidence, and participation.
Peer-to-peer. Local. Sustainable.
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BASE introduces a training and support ecosystem to foster the development of Active Neighbourhood Ecosystems at local municipal level. This approach is accompanied by a two-tier capacity-building model that trains Active Neighbourhood Buddies and Active Neighbourhood Mentors.
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The initiative responds to the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social inclusion and healthy lifestyle, particularly among older people. Long periods of isolation, reduced mobility, and disrupted social routines left many older adults struggling to re-engage in physical activity and community life.
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Against this background, BASE develops innovative activation and mitigation approaches to support older people in reconnecting with society and enjoying healthier, more active lives. Central to this approach is a peer-to-peer activation logic, which recognises that older people are often best supported by peers who share similar life experiences and local contexts.
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Within BASE, active older people are trained as Active Neighbourhood Buddies. These Buddies act as local peer change agents who support other, less active older people in reconnecting with society and engaging in healthy lifestyle activities. Their training focuses on a holistic understanding of healthy lifestyle, methods to trigger behavioural change, trust-building, social reconnection, safeguarding, and the practical use of the Active Neighbourhood Ecosystem.
To ensure quality, sustainability, and ethical implementation, our Buddies are supported by Active Neighbourhood Mentors, who provide training, guidance, and ongoing mentoring.
Another main element of the BASE approach is the design and nurturing of local Active Neighbourhood Ecosystems to support the work and activities of the BASE Active Neighbourhood Buddies and Mentors. This ecosystem-based community action is essential for engaging inactive or less active older people, as it allows diverse local stakeholders to learn and co-create together so that they can activate, adapt, and sustain local healthy lifestyle activities for older people. We are co-funded by the European Union.
HOW WE MAKE A CHANGE
WHO TEAMED UP TO MAKE A CHANGE
THIS IS THE TEAM THAT CO-CREATES MORE ACTIVE AND HEALTHIER NEIGHBOURHOODS.
INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH US?
You are looking to make a change in your local community to support older people to become more active and enjoy a healthier lifestyle? Look no further! Contact and join us by filling our form or email us.
