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Digital Detox in community

2022-3-DE04-KA152-YOU-0000975732022Mobility of young peoplefinalized
Countries: DE|NL|EL|PT · Grant: €32,194
Digital skills and competencesEnvironment and climate changePhysical and mental health, well-being

Objectives

Digitization has entered all areas of our lives. This has been accelerated and intensified by the Corona pandemic. Young people in particular use the Internet so intensively that it is impossible to imagine their everyday lives without it. Many can no longer imagine life without social networks like Instagram or search engines like Google. At the same time, the dangers that come with it are usually disregarded. Dealing with global, interactive information and communication technologies has an enormous impact on participation in society and on one's own well-being. Through Digital Detox, space was given to examine one's own digital consumption and to reflect on one's behavior without allowing oneself to be distracted. The goal was to create a more sustainable and conscious approach to our hyper-connected world. Furthermore, sustainability was one of the main topics in this project. It took place in an ecovillage, where the participants learned how sustainability can be lived in our society. An ecovillage is an intentional or traditional community that is consciously designed through participatory processes with local responsibility to regenerate the social and natural environment. Another focus was personal development. By creating a positive group feeling, without the distraction of electronic devices, participants had the opportunity to rediscover themselves. Joint decisions were made and space was given to try things out. This required the active participation of the participants. Due to the location as well as the diversity of people, different perspectives on life could be critically examined, so that personal horizons were broadened. This was accompanied by the goal of creating intercultural understanding and living diversity. By bringing together young people from different cultures and making them aware of respectful, good coexistence, the participants were able to experience directly that we are all equally valuable. Prejudices and stereotypes were broken down and honest, authentic encounters were encouraged to create and strengthen a sense of community. Here, too, the choice of location was an advantage. Since the people in the ecovillage live in community and have established many processes to make this happen, they are a direct role model for cohesion. The guiding question was: How can we/my life be shaped so that I feel satisfied in my relationship with myself (personal development), with my local community (active citizenship), with a sustainable livelihood, and with awareness about digital media?

Project partners (4)