Make a change and go green, Erasmus+ youth exchange
Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.
Today, more than ever, each of us must get involved in voluntary actions aimed at protecting the environment and supporting green energy. Our association has been permanently involved in raising awareness of the major role in environmental protection, but also in educating the young generation in this spirit, through its active involvement in thematic projects. The problem addressed in this project is the decreasing interest shown by young people in recent years towards the responsible use of resources, towards the environment and towards the needs of greening, which ultimately leads to the appearance of gaps in the way of approaching the subjects related to these notions.
The project offered the opportunity to carry out ecological education activities aimed at cultivating young people’s interest and love for the world around them and protecting the environment. At the same time, it aimed to make young people responsible for the importance of protecting the environment, shaping skills and attitudes to value and respect the environment through civilized behavior, and sensitizing citizens on the importance of using resources responsibly.
The project involved 30 participants (18 – 25 years old) from 5 countries (Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Romania) and took place in the village of Traisteni, Valea Doftanei (Romania), between June 17 and 24, 2023. The mobility also included a planning visit in advance, which took place in the same location, between April 8 and 9, 2023. Two people from each organization, the leader and one of the participants, participated in the preparatory visit. As the participation of young people with fewer opportunities was a priority for us and our partners, we decided to involve at least 3 young people with fewer opportunities from each country.
Objectives:
– To help and support the organizations involved in creating their own ecological policy, as well as one at the local level.
– Promoting a green mentality that could contribute to the protection of the environment and the prevention of climate change.
– To equip participants with knowledge and skills to address environmental issues and challenges affecting their communities.
– Promoting European strategies regarding environmental protection and cooperation between young people, organizations, and local authorities to work together to achieve the objectives proposed in the European Green Deal at the local level.
The measures we considered necessary to raise awareness of these problems were related to the implementation of informational actions aimed at non-formal education regarding subjects related to the environment and environmental protection. We intended to address these subjects in a non-formal setting, attractive to young people, through which they could acquire information about this subject, be stimulated to engage in interactive dialogue, document and understand the issues related to the environment as they exist. This alternative form of non-formal education had several aspects in mind: the formation of a responsible attitude related to the protection of the environment, the formation and development of team spirit, skills, helping, planned thinking, strengthening confidence, and forming the feeling of self-esteem. We intended to stimulate and encourage initiative, interest in knowing the problems related to the protection of the environment, and channeling young people’s abilities to discover areas in which they could capitalize on them to develop their personality. Additionally, they became trainers and multipliers in the field addressed, disseminating the accumulated experience to others in their social circle: friends, family, colleagues, community.
The proposed project was an educational project addressed to young people who wanted to improve their knowledge and communication skills for personal development and preparation for independent life. The program of activities included personal development and team-building activities, presentations on issues related to environmental protection, green energy, responsible use of resources, intercultural evenings, workshops, joint activities with young people from the local high school, and meetings with local authorities.
This project was done with the support of the Erasmus+ Programm under 2022 accreditation: 2022-1-RO01-KA151-YOU-000056775.
Together Romania Association 