I AM NATURE

In France, over 14 days, we support and guide 36 young adults as they reconnect with the planet and themselves. Our approach focuses on non-formal education, informal learning, and building knowledge and skills in regeneration, intercultural exchange, and community living. These serve as tools for learning, exchanging ideas, and fostering cooperation, creativity, and innovation at all levels of the project. Young people created this youth exchange for young people. Having experienced that it is possible to live in a way more connected to nature, the planet, and ourselves, we wanted to share this experience with other young people. To show that we can be part of the solutions needed today. Exploring topics that brought solutions to climate change, such as permaculture, natural building, and solar energy, connecting and combining these three. Participants were introduced to alternative ways of living while being inspired by the space where the project took place: the Catfarm Community.

Specific objectives that were achieved included:

Raised awareness about climate change while empowering youngsters to develop critical thinking and communication around this topic

Supported them by experiencing what it is like to live a more ecological lifestyle, including hands-on work and understanding the reasons behind it.

Showcased to the participants what was possible with permaculture, solar panels and natural building.

Encouraged participants to host workshops around the theme to generate confidence and foster sharing with the group

Promoted the concept of co-creation and participatory project by involving participants in all phases of the project

Immersion in an experimental way of life within an eco-place offered an example of leading green lifestyles

Co-created a garden bed while fostering collaboration and teamwork.

Promoted social inclusion by exchanging international perspectives, developing intercultural competence, understanding different cultures

Shared cultures, exchanged ideas among youth to form a base for future corporations and projects

Raised awareness of youngsters' cultural heritage and encouraged commitment in their communities while improving the cultural awareness and expression of competence

Raised awareness on European Union common values and encouraging youth to be engaged in civic society

Made this project accessible for youth with fewer opportunities

Equipped them with the tools that they can also bring back to their local communities for climate action.

Fostered communication and cooperation with the stakeholders

Introduced young people to non-formal education and shared with them the possibilities after this youth exchange to continue their journey in non-formal education, with the opportunity to keep empowering and developing themselves as people.

Raised awareness of the practices, policies, and systems in matters of non-formal education of youth in the EU

Implementation

Activity 1: KA1 Erasmus+ Youth Exchange

Venue: Catfarm, Poussan, France

Planned Dates: 12th September - 26th September (including 2 travel days)

Countries involved: Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania

Number of participants: 36

Out of which with fewer opportunities: 18

The participants of the youth exchange were motivated young people aged between 18-30. Youth for this project came from 6 partner countries and were selected to bring diverse cultural backgrounds. During the partner selection process, we prioritized gender balance and included participants who face barriers related to education and training systems, discrimination (including minority groups and those with migrant backgrounds or who identify as LGBTQX) and cultural differences within their country, social and geographical barriers (such as living in rural areas) . Although bringing together a group with such diverse cultural backgrounds can be challenging, we ensured all participants fit the participant profile below to build common ground.

Participants Profile:

Aged between 18 and 30

Motivated to participate in the youth exchange and interested in the topic (living with nature, climate change, community living)

Have no or very little experience of participating in international youth exchanges

Appreciate differences and enjoy a multicultural environment

An open mind to an alternative lifestyle at the Catfarm community

Willing to open up and share their vulnerability with others

We search and prioritize participants with fewer opportunities

Motivated to participate in all stages of the project, from the beginning till the end

Motivated to disseminate project results and get involved in future follow up projects

Having the ambition to explore their soft/hard competencies such as interpersonal interaction, sense of initiative, intercultural understanding, DIY, positive attitude, entrepreneurial, eco-citizen, and green skills

Being motivated to deepen their values of sustainability, cooperation, creativity, active citizenship, solidarity, and community life

Being able to understand and communicate in English

Results

The participants were greatly impacted by the atmosphere, the exposure to different cultures and traditions as well as the educational content. They formed meaningful connections with individuals from across Europe and had the chance to collaborate on the projects right from the planning stages. They became familiar with new people and cultures, improving their language skills and strengthening their European identity.

This experience inspired them to take on the role of creating the change they want to see in the world, dedicating their passion to some of the project's key themes in an effort to make a positive impact. As a result, participants not only expanded their knowledge and built a network for future collaboration, but they also found motivation to contribute to sustainability efforts in their local communities.

In addition, participants gained valuable professional skills and insights through their participation in the various stages of the project. For instance, all participants were part of a team of 6 that organized a workshop for the entire group, an activity that aimed to boost their confidence, improve public speaking, and enhance their technical skills. These workshops also provided opportunities for creativity, knowledge sharing, collaboration and group bonding. As a result, they not only expanded their knowledge and built a network for future collaborations, but also used this foundation to contribute to their local communities. To amplify the project’s impact, we shared best practices through international platforms and among the project partners.

Through this project, participants built resilience in response to societal changes and the complex social challenges of the present and the future. They gained an understanding of alternative ways of living, consuming, working, and learning. They also got to recognize the power of collective action and commitment in the journey of bringing change to their communities. The project fostered the promotion of European identity and values through the multicultural friendships formed. Participants enhanced their linguistic, educational, cultural, social, and ecological skills. This sparked a strong motivation to become agents of change and continue working for peace and the respect of all living things, driven by their passions and interests. Ultimately, the experience empowered them to contribute to the creation of a new societal narrative and become experts in their own experiences and life journeys.

Additionally, like all the projects hosted by Catfarm, the I am nature youth exchange promoted the idea that open dialogue with the volunteers living at Catfarm can produce diverse outcomes over time, leading to tangible impacts on young people. Through interactions with travelers, digital nomads, creatives, artists, etc., participants were able to explore various ways of living and working, managing their time and investing in socially impactful projects—ecologically, culturally, and economically. These exchanges fostered friendships and international connections, reinforcing their understanding of global commitment.

Overall, the participants benefited from the following outcomes:

They improved their learning performance;

Their employability was enhanced and their career prospects improved;

Their sense of initiative and entrepreneurship increased;

Their self-empowerment and self-esteem increased;

Their foreign language competencies improved;

Their intercultural awareness was enhanced;

Their participation in society became more active;

Their awareness of the European project and the EU values improved;

Their motivation for taking part in future (formal/non-formal) education increased.

Social and civic competences namely working with different people to co-construct, speaking in public, non-violent communication, creativity and improvising to name a few.

Technical skills namely identifying the different types of plastic, making the machines operational, creating objects out of it, initiative and entrepreneurship.

Dissimination of results and outputs:

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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