We wanted to change the situation stated above by showing young participants how they can act, and also by connecting them with scientists and policy makers alike. The goal was also to establish both local and global communities of like-minded, young individuals who were either eager to act before the project or who were skeptical about their situation. During a series of local workshops in each country, a four day long international workshop, and through an online platform established solely to build the CLICA community, we were able to connect a lot of young participants who wouldn’t have met otherwise. We also wanted to show the participants different artistic tools that they can use to form their opinion, talk about their struggles regarding climate change or any personal issue, and to express their thoughts in a way that anyone could understand.
As the full name of the project (Young Climate Campaigners For The European Green Deal) suggests, we wanted to create a bottom-up and all-inclusive youth movement in support of the European Green Deal, aimed at systemically increasing the policy’s impact for youth residing in European peripheries, civic desserts, rural areas and remote communities that are at the frontlines of the European climate change crisis and are struggling to address the challenges that it creates. Together with the rest of the partners, we felt that in many European countries people in certain areas have two-faced problem. For on, they are highly impacted by climate change, as people living in rural Europe often face significant environmental challenges, including the impact of climate change on agriculture, the limited access to clean water and the depletion of natural resources. On the other hand, the isolation of rural communities also makes it harder to address environmental concerns effectively, as they may lack the financial and civic resources available in urban areas. These groups of people have little to no say in matters that affect them at local or EU level.