International youth exchange
ERASMUS + ACCREDITATION, 2023-1-EE01-KA151-YOU-000132435
ERASMUS + ACCREDITATION, 2023-1-EE01-KA151-YOU-000132435
EcoVisionaries
15-21 April | France
The main aim of the project:
To inspire and empower 30 young individuals aged 16-20 from Estonia, Italy, France through a transformative one-week Youth Exchange in the south of France. We want to foster a profound understanding and commitment towards sustainability, with a special focus on cultivating active hope and resilience, thereby promoting intercultural dialogue and collaboration
Educational Enhancement:
To increase participants' knowledge of sustainability issues and solutions by engaging them in interactive workshops and discussions.
Development of Active Hope and Resilience:
To conduct sessions on active hope and resilience, enabling participants to develop strategies for personal and community resilience in the face of environmental challenges.
Cultural Exchange and Understanding:
To facilitate a rich cultural exchange among participants from the three countries, enhancing mutual understanding and respect, and fostering a sense of European unity and global citizenship.
Skill Development:
To enhance participants' communication, teamwork, and leadership skills through group projects and collaborative activities focused on sustainability, preparing them to be change agents in their communities.
Networking and Collaboration:
To create a sustainable network of young leaders passionate about environmental issues, encouraging ongoing collaboration and support among participants beyond the duration of the exchange.
To inspire and empower 30 young individuals aged 16-20 from Estonia, Italy, France through a transformative one-week Youth Exchange in the south of France. We want to foster a profound understanding and commitment towards sustainability, with a special focus on cultivating active hope and resilience, thereby promoting intercultural dialogue and collaboration
Educational Enhancement:
To increase participants' knowledge of sustainability issues and solutions by engaging them in interactive workshops and discussions.
Development of Active Hope and Resilience:
To conduct sessions on active hope and resilience, enabling participants to develop strategies for personal and community resilience in the face of environmental challenges.
Cultural Exchange and Understanding:
To facilitate a rich cultural exchange among participants from the three countries, enhancing mutual understanding and respect, and fostering a sense of European unity and global citizenship.
Skill Development:
To enhance participants' communication, teamwork, and leadership skills through group projects and collaborative activities focused on sustainability, preparing them to be change agents in their communities.
Networking and Collaboration:
To create a sustainable network of young leaders passionate about environmental issues, encouraging ongoing collaboration and support among participants beyond the duration of the exchange.
Dates: 16-20 April 2024
Arrival : 15 April 2024
Departure: 21 April 2024
Organiser: MTÜ VitaTiim, Estonia - https://www.vitatiim.ee/, NGO Ride in 971, NGO Eduavtite
Number of participants: Estonia - 8 participants + 2 leaders
Age of participants: 16-20 y.o
Infopack
Arrival : 15 April 2024
Departure: 21 April 2024
Organiser: MTÜ VitaTiim, Estonia - https://www.vitatiim.ee/, NGO Ride in 971, NGO Eduavtite
Number of participants: Estonia - 8 participants + 2 leaders
Age of participants: 16-20 y.o
Infopack
Sustainability is the ability to exist and develop without depleting natural resources for the future. The United Nations defined sustainable development in the Brundtland Report as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.
Active Hope as 'something we do rather than have' - a unique set of tools that can enable us to cope with the climate crisis and find an active role, no matter how big or small.
Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.
Active Hope as 'something we do rather than have' - a unique set of tools that can enable us to cope with the climate crisis and find an active role, no matter how big or small.
Project results
This project successfully inspired and empowered 30 young individuals from Estonia, Italy, and France.
Focused on sustainability, the program increased participants' knowledge through interactive workshops and discussions. Sessions on active hope and resilience equipped them with strategies for personal and community resilience amid environmental challenges.
A rich cultural exchange enhanced mutual understanding and respect, fostering a sense of European unity and global citizenship. Participants also honed their communication, teamwork, and leadership skills through collaborative sustainability projects.
Moreover, the project established a sustainable network of young leaders, encouraging ongoing collaboration and support, which led to the development of individual sustainability projects by the participants.
Focused on sustainability, the program increased participants' knowledge through interactive workshops and discussions. Sessions on active hope and resilience equipped them with strategies for personal and community resilience amid environmental challenges.
A rich cultural exchange enhanced mutual understanding and respect, fostering a sense of European unity and global citizenship. Participants also honed their communication, teamwork, and leadership skills through collaborative sustainability projects.
Moreover, the project established a sustainable network of young leaders, encouraging ongoing collaboration and support, which led to the development of individual sustainability projects by the participants.
Methods used
Active Hope
The content for the youth exchange was inspired by the book Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy, authored by Chris Johnstone and Joanna Macy. This book focuses on empowering individuals to constructively face global challenges through transformative practices. It emphasizes resilience, fostering a proactive approach to environmental and personal crises, and encourages readers to play a role in the collective journey towards sustainability.
More about book
Problemometer and Responseometer
The youth exchange incorporated innovative methods such as the "Problemometer" and "Responseometer" to enhance engagement and understanding among participants. These tools allowed the young individuals to write down societal challenges that concerned them. They then assessed these challenges on the Problemmeter, which gauges the magnitude of the problem, and on the Responseometer, which evaluates the level of collective response and readiness to tackle the issue. This method helped participants visualize the scale of various issues and the effectiveness of existing responses, fostering a deeper understanding of where action is most needed and how they can contribute to societal change.
The spiral of the Work That Reconnects
During the youth exchange, participants practiced "The Spiral of the Work That Reconnects," a framework developed by eco-philosopher Joanna Macy. This model is designed to help individuals and groups transform their concerns about the world into meaningful, collaborative action. The spiral consists of four stages: Coming from Gratitude, where participants acknowledge the gifts of life, fostering resilience; Honoring our Pain for the World, which validates the emotional response to global suffering; Seeing with New Eyes, where new perceptions and insights are gained; and Going Forth, which involves planning and implementing practical steps towards healing the planet. This experiential approach was used to deepen the participants' emotional and cognitive understanding of environmental challenges, enhancing their ability to respond with hope and creativity.
Participants projects
Within the youth exchange, participants were encouraged to take their new knowledge and insights and channel them into developing their own projects.
The youth exchange featured an eco-game designed as an interactive quiz, available both in card format and digitally, to engage participants in learning about environmental issues in a fun and collaborative way.
During the youth exchange, participants were involved in a creative project where they designed their own cards focused on sustainability.
Fast fashion
Another group of participants in the youth exchange took a multimedia approach by creating a video project focused on the impact of fast fashion. They explored the environmental and ethical implications of the fast fashion industry, a topic relevant to their peers and communities.
The video included interviews with other participants about their shopping preferences, which provided personal insights and highlighted diverse perspectives on consumer habits. Through these interviews, the participants discussed the challenges and alternatives to fast fashion, such as choosing sustainable brands, opting for second-hand clothes, or embracing minimalist wardrobes.
Another group of participants in the youth exchange took a multimedia approach by creating a video project focused on the impact of fast fashion. They explored the environmental and ethical implications of the fast fashion industry, a topic relevant to their peers and communities.
The video included interviews with other participants about their shopping preferences, which provided personal insights and highlighted diverse perspectives on consumer habits. Through these interviews, the participants discussed the challenges and alternatives to fast fashion, such as choosing sustainable brands, opting for second-hand clothes, or embracing minimalist wardrobes.
Project supported
