We wanted to achieve a more deepened understanding for each other's organization and contexts, both for the staff as youth. We wanted to create a strong bond between both groups of active young citizens, thereby stimulating each other even more. Create empathy and new solutions for each other's environments and challenges. Also create a larger understanding in youth work and society for the need of engaging eco-social youthwork. Create empowerment with our youngsters by their newly acquired knowledge, skills and attitutes and also by giving them the floor during the Urban Showcases where they presented their work to the outside world. Our main goal was to support and educate young people into informed & active citizensby drawing on their own talents and creativity. Making them co-responsible for their own learning process and the collectively set objectives. Aiming to build a bridge between young people (and their context) to other domains such as academia and policy. And thus, through positive action in their own city, giving them a voice and an active role in urban sustainability and the green transition.
We applied for this project to create tighter bonds with the Italian Partner, Sguardi Urbani. To connect our youth and to work together on similar topics, therby illustrating similarities and differences in the respective environments. We also believed that creating a first small network/bond of organizations working with youth, sustainability education, placemaking and active citizenship would be another step/action to create a positive change locally and globally. With this project we addressed the needs for real and engaging youth work and participatory action research, the need to create engaging non-formal activities dealing with the urban enviromenment, sustainability education and placemaking. We also addressed the need to create a more active and permanent link to our urban youth and the local and European policy makers.