Our main goal was to empower both youth workers and young people to become active agents of environmental change in their communities. We wanted to build the capacity of our organisations to regularly deliver high-quality environmental education using non-formal methods. Through the international training in Romania, we aimed to strengthen youth workers’ skills, confidence, and motivation to lead workshops, mentor young people, and inspire eco-friendly behaviour. At the same time, we wanted to give young people aged less than 20, especially those with fewer opportunities, the chance to learn, create, and take action through local initiatives, clean-ups, and social media campaigns. Another key objective was to connect our two partner communities and encourage intercultural dialogue on sustainability, showing that environmental challenges and solutions are shared across borders. Finally, we wanted to create tangible tools – a training curriculum, a toolbox of methods, and videos – that could be reused and shared to keep the green movement alive after the project ends.
We applied for the project - From Green Dream to Reality- because both partner organisations – Eco Challenge (Romania) and En Root (France) – noticed similar needs in their local communities: young people care about the environment but often don’t know how to act, and youth workers lack tools and confidence to guide them. Many of the youngsters come from small towns or disadvantaged backgrounds, where environmental education is limited and civic engagement is low. Through this project, we wanted to respond to these needs by building youth workers’ competences in non-formal environmental education, creating practical resources, and offering young people real opportunities to take action. We also aimed to make environmental topics more accessible, creative, and inclusive. The project was born from our shared belief that green change starts locally, with small steps and empowered individuals. By connecting two small communities in Romania and France, we wanted to show that international cooperation and youth participation can truly turn a “green dream” into reality.