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Urban agriculture, a lever for the socio-professional inclusion of disadvantaged young people

2020-1-FR02-KA105-0173162020Youth mobilityfinalized
Countries: FR|TR|PT|ES|BG|BE|DE|TN|UA|DZ|MA|IT · Grant: €34,009.25
Social entrepreneurship / social innovationLabour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemploymentEnvironment and climate change

Objectives

Climate change is a global emergency that each of the European, Mediterranean and Caucasian partners is witnessing in its context in a widespread way: multiple heat waves, carbon emissions, land/water waste pollution, floods, disappearing ecosystems and biodiversity. Moreover, according to estimates in an EU report, by 2025, 67% of the world's population will be living in urban areas, with an urgent need for food. At the same time, in Europe and in the neighboring partner countries, there is a high unemployment rate among young urban dwellers (18-25 years old), especially those with fewer opportunities, particularly migrant women, refugees or asylum seekers, who are welcomed by our respective structures. This is why we wanted to act with and for youth actors and disadvantaged young people in need of awareness, support, professional capacity building and social inclusion in a meaningful and income generating activity. Urban agriculture is both a set of agricultural activities practiced in urban areas and a citizen movement of responsible reappropriation of urban space for healthy food production and local consumption with short circuits as an essential and innovative lever of sustainable and economic development contributing to job creation, the emergence of young entrepreneurs, the integration of people at risk of social exclusion and the improvement of socio-educational and pedagogical animation, The main objective of the project was to develop the key and transversal competences (knowledge, attitudes and skills) of 40 disadvantaged young people and youth leaders (from Europe, MEDA and Caucasus) in the setting up of non-formal education youth initiatives and projects related to urban agriculture, improving their personal and professional development, their participation in society as active and responsible citizens, promoting their employability in the labor market and their entrepreneurial capacity. The specific objectives and educational pathway of the project were structured as follows: Stimulate the understanding of the concepts of sustainable development, urban agriculture, circular/functional economy, global warming and carbon emissions, ecological footprint, social entrepreneurship/start-up, eco-citizenship, disadvantaged youth; -Identify and understand the contexts and needs of youth workers in urban agriculture and its sustainable development issues creating jobs carried out in the city especially for disadvantaged youth and the most appropriate forms of entrepreneurial organizations; -Improve critical thinking among youth through the sharing and exchange of experiences and good practices of entrepreneurship in relation to urban agriculture, facilitating and promoting socio-educational inclusion and professional insertion of disadvantaged youth, especially young migrant women, refugees and asylum seekers; Multiply the synergies between different actors (youth, civil society, communities, elected officials, decision-makers, businesses, media, consumers, producers, distributors, chamber of commerce and consumption) to identify potential employment in urban agriculture and different forms of organization (start-up, cooperative, company. .); -Capitalize and create tangible educational tools with a multiplier effect for youth workers facilitating an innovative ecological transition including young people in difficulty on the job market: a guide on niche jobs in urban agriculture and a tutorial "Youth, I started my agricultural practice in the city and I live from it" ; -Develop new partnerships and an e-campaign promoting urban agriculture and recommendations ensuring maximum dissemination to youth, NGOs, media, elected officials, policy makers and the general public-consumers. This project joined the objectives of the Erasmus + program by improving skills and strengthening the awareness of youth workers, environmental challenges and act via urban agriculture as a lever for inclusion and professional integration of young people with fewer opportunities; exchanges of good practices: acquisition of key and transversal skills, increased capacities of NGOs to understand and respond to the needs of alternative production practices and consumption mode promoting employability; and improvement of the quality of socio-educational animation and entrepreneurial professional learning through innovation in the youth sector.

Project partners (12)