EU Green Deal pops up in future generations newsfeed

As youth organizations, we are committed to prepare our target group (young people) as best as possible for the challenges of the future which also comprises climate change. On the one hand, this ...

With U.Pin, we wanted to raise awareness on climate change among young people, inform about solutions on different levels and empower to become active in the fight against climate change. For this purpose, appealing, contextualised and applicable information on climate change and the EU Green Deal in innovative formats were designed. To pick them up and reach them in the reality of their lives, new social media will be used for the dissemination (TikTok, Instagram and YouTube). But we did not just want to develop and design this content for them, but also with them.

The project U.Pin was divided in the following phases: Phase 1: Selection and Translation The project began with all partners familiarizing themselves in detail with the central content: The EU Green Deal, ist measures and how it works. The content was selected and translated into youth-friendly language and Instagram Posts that young people can understand and relate to. The first result was a translation of the EU Green Deal (R1), the second result were videos covering all 8 topics of the EU Green Deal (to be published on YouTube and TikTok) (R2). These results serve as a basis for all further activities and results. Phase 2: Development of a course and manual In the next phase, a trainers manual was developed to enable multipliers such as teachers, trainers and youth workers to include content on climate change in their courses and explain the approaches of the EU Green Deal (R3). This manual provided background knowledge and methods to use R1 and R2 meaningfully in trainings or the classroom. The trainers manual developed in this way was tested in the following phase. Phase3: Piloting and training In order to test the previously developed project results and the trainers manual on the one hand and to involve young people in the development of new content on the other, one training was conducted in this phase (LTTA). The young people produced and published their own content in guided workshops so that more young people are targeted directly (in the training) and indirectly (with the produced videos). Phase 4: Conclusion and Dissemination In order to disseminate the project U.Pin and its results and make them better known among multipliers, multiplier events were held in each partner country in order to reach a wider audience.

Initially, we crafted an in-depth background briefing on the EU Green Deal tailored specifically for young audiences. Recognizing the prevalence of social media, we aimed to broaden our reach by adapting this content into engaging Instagram posts, disseminated gradually over the course of a year. Additionally, we transformed the same information into video formats, catering to both long-form audiences on YouTube and shorter attention spans on TikTok. Understanding the pivotal role educators play in shaping youth perspectives, we further devised a comprehensive manual. This manual not only provided insights into the content but also offered innovative methodologies for integrating these materials effectively into educational settings. During a Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity (LTTA) session conducted with young participants, these materials along with the instructional manual were put to the test. Through this hands-on approach, we were able to gauge the effectiveness of our resources in engaging and educating young minds on the intricacies of the EU Green Deal.