Many young people living in urban areas today live a life disconnected from nature and are therefore unaware of the extent of environmental crises and how they threaten their mental health. The disconnection from nature can cause young people to face emotional struggles such as stress, anxiety, and hopelessness. Through this project, we wanted young people to strengthen their connection with nature and build environmental awareness. We aimed to help them build a healthy connection with both the planet and their inner world. We wanted them to understand not only the importance of protecting the environment, but also that they can live in harmony with nature. We wanted them to experience this firsthand by living in a community.
To achieve these goals, we organized group discussions, experiential workshops, and creative activities in nature in collaboration with the participants, allowing them to internalize the knowledge they acquired throughout the project. In addition, the project increased the capacities of the participating organizations. It brought innovative approaches to youth participation, created a dynamic and professional environment, and strengthened the organization’s ability to operate at a European or international level.
The youth exchange aimed to achieve the following specific objectives:
- Establish a social bond between people living in the immediate neighborhood and the international participants and the Catfarm community
- Bring together people from different cultures in a co-creative social and environmental project by involving participants in all phases of the project
- Raise awareness about climate change while encouraging young people to develop critical thinking and communication around the issue
- Show participants what is possible with permaculture, solar panels, and natural construction
- Enable young people to acquire personal, social, and professional skills
- Immerse participants in an experimental way of life within an eco-place that offers an example of leading ecological lifestyles
- Promote social inclusion by sharing food cultures, exchanging international perspectives, developing intercultural competence, understanding different cultures and appreciating diversity
- Share cultures, exchange ideas among youth to form a base for future corporations and projects
- Raise awareness of the practices, policies, and systems in matters of non-formal education of youth in the EU
Implementation
I REVIVE project includes an Advanced Preparatory Visit and a Youth Exchange.
Based on our previous experience, we realized that two days were not enough to provide a real community experience and that some participants would use non-green transportation for such a short time, which was not compatible with the project's purpose. Therefore, as we stated in our project application, we organized an online APV.
Each partner organization involved in the project referred one group leader to us to participate in the online APV. In particular, our partners selected the group leaders from people who were highly motivated to develop their professional and personal skills in facilitation, guiding group processes, and holding space.
The participants of our Youth Exchange were motivated young people between the ages of 18 and 30 (excluding the group leader). The participants came from six different countries and therefore had different cultural experiences. We hosted 36 people in total: one group leader and five participants from each country. We also hosted two facilitators from France and the Netherlands. We searched for and prioritized participants with fewer opportunities. Some participants had economic difficulties, some had geographical barriers, and some were subjected to gender bullying and discrimination. We also care about gender balance.
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
- 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
In I REVIVE Youth Exchange, which aimed to regenerate the relationship between young people and the environment, we also ensured that participants built a stronger connection with themselves through non-formal education methods. We increased participants' sense of responsibility toward nature and helped them become more active in climate-related issues by connecting with their inner worlds. We motivated them to take an active role in sustainability and social responsibility. Throughout the project, participants met people from different cultures, made new friends, and encountered different perspectives. Living in this social environment for two weeks broadened their worldview. By living in an alternative lifestyle environment and facing unfamiliar challenges, they strengthened their resilience and adaptability. They gained valuable skills by experiencing concepts such as community life, volunteering, and co-production, and they also realized that alternative ways of living are possible. We also inspired them to embrace their European identity and become open to international collaboration. We showed them how they could continue to contribute to their personal and professional development by explaining the opportunities and programs offered by the European Union. Finally, we shared our knowledge and outcomes to disseminate our project with wider communities at an international level.
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.
Dissemination of results and outputs:
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
Open-source practical and Reusable Resources and Tools used at the Catfarm
Dates: 18.04.2024 to 02.05.2024
Location: Catfarm Community - France
Partners: Fiatalok Egységben Egyesület (Hungary), New Wellness Education (Italy), Adventures of the Valparaíso (Netherlands), ASSOCIACAO CHECK-IN - COOPERACAO E DESENVOLVIMENTO (Portugal), Back to the Roots (Spain)
Coordinator: Catfarm Education (France)
2023-3-FR02-KA152-YOU-000181661