Welcome at GA! Groningen

Together with the Healthy Ageing Network Northern Netherlands (HANNN), the partners of the Groningen Agreement are organizing a Healthy Ageing Campaign in 2012 called GA! Groningen (Healthy & Active Groningen – in Dutch ‘GA! (Gezond & Actief - Healthy & Active) Groningen’). It involves numerous activities in the field of healthy nutrition, healthy lifestyle, exercise & sports, and is meant to introduce as many Groningen citizens to the Healthy Ageing theme as possible. This public campaign underlines the theme’s urgency and raises broad public awareness (among young and old) about healthy living, nutrition, and exercise. With its participation in the European Year of Active Ageing, Groningen has been officially recognized as EU City of Active Ageing. With this program, the partners of the Groningen Agreement give meaning to the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations.

Healthy Ageing is a priority in the cooperation between the city and the knowledge institutions, a priority of the Northern Netherlands, and a European priority. We are all growing increasingly older, but this does not automatically mean that we also increase our healthy years. This has serious social, societal, and economic consequences. Government bodies and knowledge institutions as well as the business community – in the city of Groningen and the Northern Netherlands – have been working together closely for years to develop new insights and to apply them to new products and services to ensure that we do not only grow older, but, most of all, that we do so in a healthy way.

The kick-off on 24 April, for instance, will see food and drink establishments in Groningen selling Healthy Ageing meals, various ‘guerilla actions’, such as a fish picnic at the Vismarkt, and the opening of the GA! Groningen concept store in the city center: the GA! Spot. One of the highlights is The Night of Arts & Science on June 2.