Our aim was to increase the capacity of youth workers to make their workshops, activities and mobility zero waste, sustainable and environmentally friendly. To this end, we developed knowledge, skills and tools that would integrate the 5R rule (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle) and sustainability principles into youth work. Contributing to the Erasmus+ priority of ‘green transition,’ improving the quality of youth work, and offering innovative and applicable methodologies were among our main goals. We also aimed to strengthen shared values and environmental awareness through experience sharing and transnational cooperation among youth workers from different fields.
Our project was designed to address the issues of material waste and limited recycling knowledge arising from workshops, events and activities run by youth workers. The impact of the post-pandemic environmental crisis on youth work has highlighted the need for zero waste and sustainability practices. We aimed to increase the capacity of youth workers who work on environmental issues but lack access to tools and methods, as well as target groups working in handicrafts and creative sectors that use a big amount of materials in their workshops and have limited knowledge of sustainability. This need was identified based on our partners' direct experiences in their respective fields and the lack of good practices around Europe.