The general objective of the project is the improvement of the health situation of young people between 16 and 20 years of age without a job and not in school education through the development of a health promotion concept for this target group. These factors of socio-economic disadvantages are seen as social level indicator for the target group. The concept aims at the improvement and preservation of health through positive influence on health determinants, improvement of health potentials and chances of the target group. An active contribution and participation of the envisaged target group will be sought in the sense of fostering their participation and empowerment in relation to their own health.

The reduction of socially determined unequalities of health chances is one of the major challenges for the European health systems. Especially young people without a job/employment or not being education have a very high risk to have unequal chances in terms of health and health promotion. The social level gradient is existing for nearly all health relevant topics (smoking, sports inactivity, TV consumption more than 3 hours a day, adipositas and psychological appearances)for the group of young people without jobs and education. Apart from their health condition and chances the approached target group of the project is however a group with many difficulties to reach and motivate for participation and health promotion. For current systems and approaches it seems difficult to connect health and health promotion with the life reality of youth and current mainstream offers for health promotion contain the danger to even increase the difference and divide in relation to health condition and healthy way of life as they mainly approach middle and upper social levels and not the desired target group.

The target group of the project is young people between 16 and 20 years of age which do not have a job/employment and who are not in any form of school education in the different partner countries of the project. According to the report "The health of disadvantaged groups in Europe" (Streich, 2000) they relate to the strongest influence factors for health inequality: very low income (social benefits), low job status (unskilled), low educational level and school degree, living in socially disadvantaged areas. In relation to the envisaged general and specific objectives the project will build on the following concrete methods:
1) Desk research: the starting point of the baseline research of health determinants, health promotion at young people between 16 and 20 years without a job and not in school education will be based on a scientific desk research of relevant secondary data in all partner countries which will show the health status of the target group, their social structure, embedding in peer group settings, motivational background, perspectives etc.
2) Questionnaire based survey: on the basis of the findings of the desk research a questionnaire based survey will be developed, the questionnaire will mainly be constructed for personal interviews as the participation rate to mail or online questionnaires especially within this target group will be quite poor.
3) Iterative development: All concept development processes will follow an iterative quality cycle of development and reflection steps.

Expected outcomes will be: 1) Improved health situation of young people between 16 and 20 years of age without a job/employment and not in school education, 2) Better Knowledge basis,3) Improvement of health resources in the partner countrÍes, 4) Promotion of positive health related activities at the target groups) Development of social networks, 6) Networking with related associations and networks, 7) Establishment of urban / communal networks. Core deliverables will be: Baseline Study Report, Health Promotion Concept for 16-20 years old young people, Pilot evaluation report, Quality management concept, Dissemination strategy.