Be Environmental!

Background The Be Environmental! Project started with the needs of young people and what changes they wanted to make in their world. During a previous Youth Exchange (Local Climate Activists, Waterford, February 2020), participants expressed very strongly their worries and concerns about the climate crisis, and how this was affecting their lives, through increasing anxiety, turbulent jobs markets, and habitat destruction. The group developed a Needs Analysis document, which created the basis for a longer-term Project where young people could learn about their environment, through using youth work methodologies, and could actually deliver some practical impact in their own communities, as well as inspiring their friends and peers. And so, the young people decided to do something about it - bearing in mind the concept of 'thinking globally and acting locally'. They worked with Youth Workers and youth organizations to plan a Project that would come from the grassroots, include all types of people in society, (with a real focus on those who are 'seldom heard') and that would have long-term impacts. Objectives From the planning and development process, the young people worked to create their vision, and this became: 'We want to develop youth work methodologies for young people to work with the natural environment in the age of climate change, and we want to learn from each other, exchange good practices, implement initiatives that deliver real positive change, and learn and grow as organizations together.' Ultimately, 3 main objectives emerged that formed the basis of the Project: 1. To impact on our organizations by increasing our capacity to work transnationally, developing and strengthening pan-European networks with European values at the core. 2. To help young people develop themselves, impacting positively on wellbeing, through sharing and examining ideas, practices and methodologies that are relevant to young people, and therefore connecting, engaging and empowering young people to take part in civic, social and economic life across Europe. 3. To have a positive impact on the environment and the climate in each of our countries, through putting some of these learnings and ideas into practice in meaningful ways in our own local contexts. Implementation In order to achieve the objectives, there were a number of key Activities carried out: A. 1 X Staff Training session, for 12 participants (3 from each organization - including 2 staff members and including 1 young person): focused on 'Team Development and Communication', held in Ireland in November 2021. B. 3 X Blended Learning Activities with 80 participants in total, one Activity in each of Finland (February 2022), Spain (April 2022) and Ireland (August 2022). These involved experiential learning activities in each country, such as taking part in workshops, meeting environmentalists, and immersive nature-based activities. 3. 3 X Transnational Project Meetings, with 36 participants in total: the first online (October/November 2020), the second in Ireland (November 2021), and the final one in Finland (December 2022) 4. There were a series of smaller activities that took place in each country during the time period of the Project. The young people decided to initiate projects in their localities, working with their local communities. Achievements This was an 'Exchange of Good Practice' Project, and therefore did not aim to produce Intellectual Outputs. However, there were three key results that came out of the Project: 1. Each organization strengthened its capability to work transnationally, and the relationship and bonds deepened. In addition, and ultimately most importantly, there is a real network of people that has developed. 2. Young people have developed, learned and grown over time. They've learned much about other cultures, made friends and memories, have been innovative in their practices, and have impacted on their environment. Many of them have become real active citizens in their own countries, leading their peers, and have developed real interest in the way things get done in society. 3. Participants have gone on to work on small-scale environmental Projects in their own countries, which ranged from running a recycling event in a school in Finland, to planting an 'Urban Forest' in Ireland, and from developing an ESC project to protect the environment in Spain, to the development of a map of water-fountains in Armenia.