The partners of the DC&D Safer Nightlife platform and the members of the Basics Network submitted with success an application at the EU Public Health Programme called "Nightlife, Empowerment, Well-Being Implementation project" (NEWIP). This 3-year project (2011-2013) proposes responses to the new challenges in the field of synthetic drugs harm reduction such as partygoers’ mobility (party tourism), new youth cultures and trends of drug uses, necessity of improving nightlife community empowerment as well as filling the gap in terms of geographic coverage.
The specific objectives of the project are:
- improving field work interventions;
- adapting responses to partygoers mobility;
- developing innovative responses adapted to youth cultures;
- developing community empowerment (nightlife and health professionals, local authorities, etc.) ;
- implementing new projects and enlarging the network (mainly among new member states);
- improving rapidity of responses.
To reach the objectives, the partners will:
- collect, adapt and implement best practices standards and guidelines;
- organise training sessions and study trips;
- organise common field interventions in 6 big international music festivals (180 000 people);
- support the implementation of safer party labels in 12 EU cities involving the local communities;
- set up a database on synthetic drug checking results and develop an early warning system on dangerous substances and new trends of uses;
- organise the "EU NEW Safer Night" and a dissemination conference.
I was involved as a consultant for the main partner, ABD - Energy Control, to submit the application. During the project development, I will manage the external cooperation of the network. My support to the application submission was made into the framework of the European Action on Drugs.
