The project aimed to strengthen the organisational capacities of youth stakeholders to apply more eco-friendly and sustainable practices in educational youth work. Therefore, it pursued the following two objectives: ● to increase the use of innovative eco-friendly and sustainable practices in educational youth work on youth participation among organisations working in the youth field in Europe ● to foster an increased dialogue about innovative eco-friendly and sustainable practices within the youth sector in Europe
The urgency of the climate crisis calls for immediate action. Youth-led climate movements like Fridays for Future show that young people are important agents of change for environmental and sustainable development. To empower their agency and to achieve a “sustainable green Europe” is also among the goals of the EU Youth Strategy. However, an examination of current practices in the European youth work sector revealed shortcomings in terms of environmental awareness and green practices. Educational youth activities, such as training courses or youth exchanges, often imply a considerable consumption of resources when participants travel by plane, are catered with a meat-based diet, or a lot of printed materials are used. Hence, for youth organisations across Europe there was and is the need to revise certain practices and to include environmental principles in their work.