The overall aims of the FLOWER project were to (1) establish networks/partnerships, (2) create a creative collection of ideas and good practices, (3) increase knowledge of participants about pollinators and their decline, as well as being able to apply tools to approach wicked problems (4) a sense of initiative and civic engagement. The objectives of the FLOWER project were to (1) build a community of empowered young women* in pollinator regeneration, (2) foster living in harmony with nature, (3) building youth capacity and sense of initiative through innovative education using the Nature Futures Visioning (NFV) and Systems Thinking (ST) in youth led projects for pollinators, and (4) facilitate the creation of actionable plans for youth led pollinator projects in the EU.
The motivation for this project was to form a community of FLINTA to target pollinator decline in the European Union. Through years of professional work in the field of biodiversity regeneration, we learned that youth - especially FLINTA are marginalised in decision-making processes in this field. Methodologically, we noticed that many initiatives overlook the “big picture” around pollinator decline. Hence, we saw a strong need to introduce Nature Futures Visioning (NFV) and Systems Thinking (ST). We addressed our target group’s needs for agency and an understanding of complex problems, of tools to put ideas into action, of stronger representation (financially, politically and culturally), and the need to connect with others in the same cause and exchange best practices. We also addressed the needs of the participating organisations. Pollinator Ambassadors was, apart from addressing the target group needs, motivated to strengthen our capacities as educators, community builders, and boost our skills in cross-national collaboration. ReGreen’s need was to restore the ecological balance of their ecovillage by gathering pollinator enthusiasts, and to engage with a new target group of scientifically engaged youth.