The With Nature youth exchange aimed to promote a deeper connection among our youth to nature, themselves, and others. This youth exchange offered participants a way to navigate through the concrete jungle and make the right decision for their minds and bodies. Giving practical tools for youth and youth leaders to live a more conscious and fulfilling life.
This project combined aspects of cultural exchange focused on food and lifestyles, broadening participants' understanding of democratic intercultural and mutual aid, and raising awareness of Europe's identity and values, while also raising awareness of environmental issues. Hence, this project will combine nonformal education tools focused on well-being and DIY natural products to inspire future generations to lead a healthy lifestyle and be more conscious of the environment. Participants learned to grow certain herbs and superfoods that they can easily cultivate in their home gardens, on balconies, or even indoors. They learned how to make their own cleaning products, such as laundry detergent, dish soap, and multi-purpose cleaners, as well as personal hygiene products, including deodorant, face and body cream, hair shampoo and conditioner, and toothpaste. On top of that, participants embarked on a journey through the basics of herbalism and natural remedies for issues like coughs, colds, and stomach pain. We will present the participants with alternative ways of living their lives while being inspired by the space where the project took place, the Catfarm Community.
A safe space was created where our youth learned about mindfulness, sharing circles, community life, and showing vulnerability.
The project had the following specific objectives:
- Raise awareness about climate change and health while empowering youngsters to develop critical thinking around this topic
- Educate participants with tools for DIY natural product recipes as an alternative to mass consumption and pollution
- Immersion in an experimental way of life within an eco-place that offers creative solutions to these challenges
- Promote social inclusion by sharing food cultures, exchanging international perspectives, developing intercultural competence, understanding different cultures, and appreciating diversity
- Raise their intercultural awareness, inclusiveness, and cultural heritage in the meeting between participants, hosts, animators, and volunteers residing at Catfarm
- Foster communication between youth and stakeholders
- Strengthen cooperation and inspire future projects between the partner organisation and enhance the international dimension of their work
- 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 project included 30 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.
All of the partner organisations and the youth involved expressed that there has been a need among youth in their communities for a programme that allows participants to reconnect with nature, their senses, and themselves, listen to themselves, restore their bodies and minds, and gain the confidence to return to the world.
The main topic of the activities was DIY natural products and well-being, exploring the correlation between these fields and their connection to nature and oneself. Through getting to know ourselves on a deeper level and understanding nature, one can make better life decisions. Participants learned the basic techniques for both themes so they could apply them in their lives and homes. In this youth exchange, we shared information about the environment, GMOs, the food we eat, what it contains, and the words and abbreviations we read on product labels. They learned about the toxins in hygiene products and the aluminum in the deodorants we use, and about how much trash we produce every day, and what happens to it.
In terms of the DIY natural products, the sessions on the programme were: growing superfoods, making homemade kefir and kombucha, bread, cleaning & hygiene DIY products, foraging edible plants, herbal medicine, water bottle holders, & dream catcher handcrafts. For the well-being part, we hosted: mindfulness in nature, blindfold dance, kundalini meditation, sharing circles, breathwork, yoga, ceremonies to connect with the elements, and ecstatic dance.
Our youth went on a transformational journey through their inner world, seeing alternatives to lifestyles, living in symbiosis with nature, learning to follow their bodies' needs, and tapping into the beauty that surrounds us.
There were 3 days outside of Catfarm where we hosted activities: 1- DIY day in La Palanque; 2- Visit the local Sailing Association; 3- Trip to the Salagoon Lake
Results
Event:
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 and methodologies shared by participants and facilitators
https://catfarm.notion.site/Workshops-7ebffcf0dc294f76b7579730e45ae4ec
Pictures Drive - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18Aw0UBeaFTfHIyV8GJimhB7mUkw-XogP
Newspaper Poussan:
https://blog.ville-poussan.fr/?p=164734
Coordinator: Catfarm Education
• Start date 01-08-2021 • End date 31-07-2023
ANANDA MARGA PRACARAKA SAMGHA 🇵🇹 Portugal Association for Cultural and Educational Development YOUTH ON BOARD 🇲🇰 North Macedonia KINONIKI SINETAIRISTIKI EPICHERISIELLINIKI SYMMETOCHI NEON 🇬🇷 Greece Stichting Adventures of the Valparaiso 🇳🇱 Netherlands
2021-1-FR02-KA152-YOU-000011928