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Green Impact Leaders

2025-1-AT01-KA153-YOU-0003019542025Mobility of youth workersfinalized
Countries: AT|TR|RS|ES|NL|EL|IT|MK|BG · Grant: €35,691
Green skillsQuality and innovation of youth workEnvironment and climate change

Objectives

The "Green Impact Leaders" project aimed to equip youth workers across Europe with the knowledge, practical tools and personal motivation needed to integrate eco-friendly practices into their everyday youth work and to inspire the communities around them to take meaningful action for the environment. Climate change, pollution, waste management and nature preservation are among the most urgent challenges of our time and youth workers occupy a uniquely powerful position to address them not only by raising awareness among young people, but by leading through example in the way they design and deliver their own projects. By implementing this mobility, we wanted to close the gap between environmental awareness and concrete action, helping youth workers move from knowing about sustainability to actually practising and teaching it. Through the project, we intended to build a strong, shared foundation of environmental knowledge, explore non-formal and experiential methods for engaging young people on green topics and create practical outputs including a Manual for Sustainable Practices that organisations could begin using immediately after the mobility. We also wanted to foster a deeper, more personal connection between participants and the natural world, recognising that lasting motivation to protect the environment grows from within, not from external pressure. At the same time, the project aimed to strengthen intercultural cooperation, expand participants' understanding of the Erasmus+ Programme, and support the generation of new project ideas focused on sustainability. The project addressed four horizontal priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme. The inclusion dimension was embedded through the active involvement of participants with fewer opportunities (facing economic, geographical and social barriers) who received tailored support throughout all phases. The green dimension was central to the project's identity: eco-friendly travel, plant-forward catering, digital-first materials and recycling routines were practised daily and reflected upon as part of the learning process itself. The digital dimension was addressed through participants' use of tools such as Mentimeter, MindMup, and collaborative platforms, as well as the creation of website content, videos, and social media materials. The participatory dimension was built into the programme design from the start, with youth workers co-shaping the concept, contributing national case studies, and taking ownership of workshop facilitation and follow-up planning. The project also connected directly to the European Youth Goals. It contributed to Youth Goal #10 (Sustainable Green Europe) by training youth workers to act as agents of change for environmental sustainability, equipping them with both the skills and the confidence to embed green practices into their organisations and communities. It addressed Youth Goal #3 (Inclusive Societies) by ensuring equal access and participation for youth workers from diverse backgrounds. Youth Goal #8 (Quality Learning) was supported through a rigorous non-formal education methodology including reflection groups, Youthpass competence mapping, peer review and daily evaluation that made learning intentional, documented and transferable. The specific objectives of the project were: to educate and inform youth workers about relevant environmental challenges and the obstacles that slow meaningful change; to explore the meaning of sustainability, eco-friendly behaviour, and green practices through experiential learning and non-formal methodology; to examine current positive and negative practices of partner NGOs and draw conclusions toward minimising environmental impact in future projects; to nurture a personal and deeper connection to nature among youth workers through mindfulness tools and outdoor activities as a foundational motivator for nature protection; to strengthen the role-model function of youth workers for their communities, future generations, and young people regarding sustainability; to create a practical manual for youth organisations to assist them in reducing the environmental footprint of their projects and operations; and to expand participants' knowledge of the Erasmus+ Programme and generate new project prompts focused on green practices and sustainability.

Project partners (9)