The primary goal of the Ecotopia project was to promote sustainable behaviors among young people (ages 13-19) by providing an engaging educational tool that teaches waste management, recycling, and circular economy principles. General Objectives: Encourage youth participation in sustainability and civic engagement. Empower young people to adopt sustainable habits in daily life. Increase the capacity of youth organizations to work on environmental topics. Foster critical thinking and responsibility regarding ecological issues. Project-Specific Objectives: Develop an interactive board game focused on sustainable cities, waste management, and recycling. Introduce core principles of the circular economy in an accessible way. Provide a free educational resource in Bulgarian, Greek, and English to maximize accessibility. Enhance collaboration between youth and youth workers, fostering discussions on sustainability. The project was aligned with key priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme, particularly environmental sustainability and youth participation. By integrating game-based learning, Ecotopia made sustainability practical, interactive, and fun, ensuring long-term behavioral change among its players.
The Ecotopia project was developed to address the lack of clear recycling guidelines, low youth engagement in sustainability, and the need for interactive environmental education. Recycling rates in Bulgaria (28.2%) and Greece (21.0%) remain significantly below the EU average of 48.73%, highlighting the widespread confusion and lack of motivation to properly manage waste. Many young people are unaware of sustainable practices, and environmental education often fails to engage them in a way that translates into real action. The project aims to increase awareness about waste reduction, recycling, and circular economy principles through a board game format that makes sustainability engaging and practical. The game transforms complex sustainability topics into an interactive learning experience, helping young people adopt greener habits from an early age. Additionally, the project was designed to strengthen the capacity of youth organizations by fostering transnational cooperation, knowledge exchange, and innovative learning approaches. Through game-based education, Ecotopia encourages young people to actively discuss, learn, and implement sustainable behaviors, ultimately promoting a greener mindset and greater civic responsibility.