Meet our new member: JOGG – Interview with Marjon Bachra

February 18, 2026

What motivated JOGG to join the EUREGHA network, and how does this European platform align with your work on healthy living for children and young people?EUREGHA is excited to introduce another New Member to Our Network

As part of our commitment to fostering strong regional health collaboration, we are delighted to welcome JOGG International as a new associate member of EUREGHA!

In a special welcome interview, we had the pleasure of speaking with Marjon Bachra, Director of JOGG International; to explore his vision, expertise, and how JOGG will contribute to our network. You can find the full interview below!

EUREGHA continues to grow, and we look forward to introducing more new members to our expanding community in the coming months. Stay tuned for more updates!

What motivated JOGG to join the EUREGHA network, and how does this European platform align with your work on healthy living for children and young people?

JOGG is a working network of local authorities, social organisations and businesses. Together, we are working on a well-founded, integrated methodology (the JOGG approach) to make the physical and living environment of children and young people healthier. This will enable our youth to grow up to be a healthy generation. Health does not stop at the border. By working together at local, regional and international level, we contribute to a healthier living environment for children. EUREGHA is an important facilitator in this regard thanks to its connecting power and strong network.

Marjon

JOGG works closely with municipalities to create healthier environments at local level. What do you see as the main priorities for promoting healthy lifestyles among children in the coming years?

JOGG promotes a healthy living environment, with a focus on exercise, nutrition, relaxation and overweight. In terms of prevention, municipalities, professionals, regional, local and international organizations are faced with a fragmented range of national programmes, approaches and advisors. This could be done more efficiently by working together. In the coming period, we will continue to focus on joining forces, intensifying relationships and strengthening working networks in order to jointly promote a healthy living environment. Internationally, we are also committed to further developing our successful JOGG approach beyond the Dutch border. The aim is to give children across Europe a healthy childhood and a healthy future, and to create a place where knowledge is shared and expanded through practical examples.

Marjon

What are the key challenges you encounter when addressing childhood overweight and obesity, and how does JOGG’s approach respond to these challenges?

First and foremost: JOGG focuses on the living environment of all children, not just those who are overweight. By promoting a healthy living environment with plenty of exercise and healthy nutrition, we want to prevent children from becoming overweight or developing NCDs or cardiovascular diseases later in life. But this requires a great deal of effort: political and administrative support, public-private partnerships, shared ownership, linking prevention and care, monitoring & evaluation, and communication. Above all, the JOGG approach is characterised by sustainability and a long-term perspective. It has now been scientifically proven that broad local cooperation is the key to success. Not by fixating short-term results, but by making the whole living environment healthier. With structural efforts. In wicked problems like obesity, everything is connected. So, solving this issue is only possible if you look at the whole picture.

Marjon

JOGG is known for its holistic, “health in all policies” approach. What aspects of this experience do you think could be particularly relevant for other EUREGHA members?

For a real change, we need to create a society where it’s possible and easy for every child to eat healthy and get enough exercise. All policymakers and professionals from all industries and sectors, nationally and internationally, are needed. JOGG structurally embeds health objectives across multiple policy domains, rather than treating health as a standalone issue. This cross-sectoral approach translates national ambitions into concrete local action. In addition, JOGG’s experience shows the importance of strong local and regional network, long-term public–private collaboration with clear roles and safeguards. For EUREGHA members, this combination of integrated policymaking, local implementation, and multi-level collaboration can be particularly relevant when addressing complex public health challenges across regions and countries.

Marjon

Looking ahead to the next 12 months, are there any initiatives, activities, or areas of work that JOGG would like to further develop or share within the EUREGHA network?

Looking ahead to the next 12 months, we are planning an event to take place during the European Week of Regions and Cities. While no further international activities are yet planned internationally, we look forward to engaging with EUREGHA network activities and exploring opportunities to share and exchange within the network as these plans evolve.