This youth exchange was motivated by participants' curiosity from a 2020 youth exchange hosted at Catfarm. They were deeply fascinated by the solar panels that powered the community, and how they sustained themselves entirely from the Sun's energy. The participants were also intrigued by the organization and management of the community, as well as the human relations practices that helped them resolve conflicts and communicate effectively. As a result, we came together to brainstorm ways to create a youth exchange that would increase awareness about climate change, educate them on our renewable energy system, and share practices that would inspire future generations to live a sustainable lifestyle and cultivate a "Do It Yourself" mentality. Our ultimate goal was to encourage the youth to shift from an individualistic to a collective mindset, while fostering a deeper sense of care and responsibility towards their homes, communities, and the planet.
Community living has been humanity's way of life for centuries, evolving from living in tribes to villages and then cities. The family unit has also changed, moving from a whole village to a smaller unit of mother, father, and children. The industrial revolution, the feminist movement, modernization, and technological advancements have contributed to this change. Today's youth, however, are less familiar with life skills and more consumed with their city lives and technological gadgets, neglecting their ecological footprint. Studies show that millennials lack basic skills like sewing, making repairs, and cooking, which may help them discover hidden talents and support them in their lives. Despite our environment and planet changing greatly due to our lifestyle changes, our basic needs and composition as human beings have remained the same for the past 40,000 years.
At the Catfarm, we are engaged in creating a whole new kind of culture, one that responds directly to the disconnection and prejudices of modern society. One that brings all peoples of the world together with the goal of reconnection, both to the natural world that we have treated with disregard and contempt and to each other. This multicultural, ecologically minded generation niche is represented globally by a multitude of communities, old and new. Many of which thrive precisely because they have formed new rituals from old concepts. What we require now are our very own rituals that bind together our connection to the seasons, our values, and most importantly, our hearts and minds, and this is also what we wanted to inspire with the Eco Life Youth Exchange.
We introduced the participants to alternative ways of living, inspired by the space where the project took place, the Catfarm Community. Participants also had the opportunity to learn about community values of sustainability and cooperation. With the “Cats”, the international volunteers created a safe and harmonious environment, leaving room for learning and creativity within an empathetic and supportive group.
The project had the following specific objectives:
Raise awareness about climate change and renewable energy, and foster critical thinking around the topic of the exchange; Develop hands-on skills in the basics of house maintenance, like electricity, plumbing, and fixing materials; Learn about what are the most eco-friendly options when purchasing household appliances and how they can use renewable energy in their homes; Learn tools used in community living for communication, connection, tension solving, group dynamics, and boundaries; Immersion in an experimental way of life within an eco-place that offers creative solutions to current challenges; Share cultures, exchange international perspectives about the topic, develop intercultural competence, understanding of different cultures, and appreciation of diversity; Improve the social and civic competence of participating youth; Foster communication between youth and stakeholders; Develop the sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, and increase the social and civic engagement of young people as eco-responsible citizens of Europe, while becoming more active in their communities; Raise awareness on the practices of policies and systems in matters of non-formal education of youth in the European Union.
Implementation
The participants were part of the e-generations that had grown up in an environment of computers, iPhones, PlayStation, and TV shows. Some of them could stay in front of the computer for hours and hours in a row. Back then, youngsters spent their free time indoors and missed out on experiencing leisure activities like hiking, camping in nature, or watching the sunset. On top of that, those generations did not go anywhere without their mobile phones and laptops, and even when they were out, they were constantly on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and so on.
Most participants lived in cities and had little or no experience with nature, eco-community places, or alternative ways of living. Most of them had little access, or never had the chance, to witness what was possible to create when groups of driven people connected around a vision, thrived through collaboration and solidarity, and inspired others to be empowered and take action. On the other hand, most of the participants from The Netherlands and France had some more experience in traveling and openness to alternative ways of living, and they wanted to go deeper on their development and learn more, making this experience a fine blend of many different types of people that broke through the initial judgment on others and connected deeply through embodying kindness and openness to others who were different from them.
Each national group was selected and supported directly by the respective partner, ensuring there was an age and gender balance and focusing on looking for and prioritizing participants from minority groups and those with fewer opportunities, such as geographical, social, or economic obstacles, health problems, migrant backgrounds, LGBTQ, and cultural differences.
The project included 34 participants with the following profile:
Age between 18-30; Motivated to participate in the youth exchange; Have no or very little experience of participating in international youth exchanges; Interest in the topic of the youth exchange; Interested in developing competencies such as intercultural competence, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, and social and civic competencies; The group leaders and some participants have been actively involved in planning and organizing this youth exchange; Motivated to participate in all stages of the project, from the beginning to the end; Motivated to disseminate project results and get involved in future follow-up projects.
With the EcoLife Youth Exchange, our goal was to help young people gain more awareness about environmental issues by understanding the power of eco-community living and learning how to work with their hands to build and fix not only what is in their homes, but also how to incorporate renewable energy in their creations and make more environmentally friendly choices when purchasing household appliances.
We showed participants how the off-grid Catfarm community survived with its solar power system to inspire them with alternative solutions to global issues. They were able to define keywords around sustainability, climate, and renewable energy, and knew which household appliances to purchase to make more eco-friendly choices, as well as gain basic construction and repair skills.
Finally, participants co-created a solar-powered dome with natural materials. They learned how to create artsy details while being empowered in their creativity and conscious of natural options. Thus, they had the chance to build something useful for the Catfarm community and leave an imprint on the co-creation of the community space. In the initial programme, this activity was supposed to be about building a greenhouse; however, we, the participants, met and shared our ideas and suggestions, and we changed part of the idea to fit their wishes and desires.
Results
Participants learned tools for human relations and connection, making them more conscious of self-expression in a benevolent, present atmosphere, without judgment or interruption. Feeling seen and heard, and being able to give presence to the other, were emphasized. Participants learned how to connect through vulnerability, looking someone in the eye, perhaps feeling uncomfortable, and sharing a fear or something one would rarely share with someone. They also learned about the wheel of consent, specifically in community interactions, exploring boundaries and open, direct, and honest communication. This mindset and tool empowered people to speak their truth, express their needs, and make requests in a non-violent way, which is essential for living harmoniously in a community.
Moreover, everybody was welcomed into the Catfarm community to promote living in harmony, use mindfulness to bring out the best in oneself, and increase awareness of the world around us. There were several open spaces, and all participants were encouraged to prepare an activity for the group to encourage entrepreneurship.
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN2HOTEk9d4
Pictures:
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1ENLHCvH8BPABGOUmeJUtsIeawdZxG527
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3131420117120473
Social Media Posts on Adventures of the Valparaiso accounts: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresofthevalparaiso
Social Media posts on Catfarm accounts:
https://www.facebook.com/Catfarm.poussan
https://www.instagram.com/the.catfarm/
Open Source: Workshops, Games, Activities, Tools, Evaluations and methodologies shared by participants and facilitators
https://catfarm.notion.site/Workshops-7ebffcf0dc294f76b7579730e45ae4ec
Open source Practical and Reusable Resources and Tools used at the Catfarm https://www.notion.so/catfarm/Development-and-Learning-247a0f9ea67e441fbaea50902a1becde
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Coordinator: Stichting Adventures of the Valparaiso
• Start date 01-08-2022 • End date 31-05-2023
• Catfarm Education 🇫🇷 France • DRUŠTVO AKADEMIJA ZA RAZVOJ MLADIH - ARM 🇸🇮 Slovenia • Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Két Tanitási Nyelvű Baptista Gimnázium 🇭🇺 Hungary • Youth Senate Bulgaria 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
2022-2-NL02-KA152-YOU-000090530