Nightlife plays a major role in youngsters’ life and is a major source of employment and economic development. Nevertheless, nightlife activities also create a wide range of health and social problems. Development of safe nightlife environments is an emerging priority throughout Europe, where town and city authorities must manage not only the recreational habits of their own youth but also those of the young tourists visiting them.

The "Club Health – Healthy and Safer Nightlife of Youth" project, with 20 associated and 15 collaborating partners from 15 EU Member States and Norway, aims to reduce diseases (especially addictions and sexually transmitted infections), accidents, injuries and violence among youth with a focus on specific environments of nightlife; and to facilitate more consistent implementation of strategies and laws in the field of youth risk behaviour , while increasing sensitivity on relevant actors as well as on the media and advertising industries on their responsibility for action.

IREFREA-Portugal is in charge of developing a ‘Training concept for staff working in nightlife premises’ while IREFREA-Spain has produced a ‘Set of Standards to improve health and safety in recreational nightlife’ that is being assessed right now in all participant countries. Both products will be presented in the next CH Meeting to be held in June 2011.