Project dates: 18th – 24th of October 2019

Project place: Kagel (Elsensee), Germany

Deadline for applying extended to: 1st of September 2019

 

 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Our future is on stake because of climate change and the ones who will suffer the most from our inaction to stand up for our planet are young people. Politicians and leaders don’t act sufficiently or at all on the science that tells us we need to stop climate change. Destructive systems are up and running: For our energy, we still use fossil fuels; for our mobility, we still travel long and short distances by plane; and for our nutrition, we still rely on industrialized animal agriculture. Instead of restricting and abolishing these harmful economic systems, governments and businesses constantly tell us that the problem lies in individuals: Individuals need to consume more environmentally friendly, to buy organic, to avoid using plastic bags, to take shorter showers.

All those individual actions are good, but they are not enough, given that there is almost no time left for climate change to hit our planet irreversibly. Coal power plants won’t stop running if individuals use plastic bags. Industrialized animal agriculture won’t stop because the more privileged ones of us have enough money to buy organic products. Instead, we also need to organize ourselves and put pressure on our governments and our businesses!

As Greta Thunberg and the other inspiring organisers of the Fridays for Future school strikes have shown, youth are more than willing to step up for their future! This trend is not only a chance to turn the wheel on politics and businesses, so that we can prevent at least some of the horrible consequences of climate change. It is also a trend to get young people politicized, to make young people active citizens, to get young people to organize themselves to step up for what they believe in.

In this seminar, 33 participants of climate justice organisations and peace/volunteering organisations from 15 European countries will come together to learn from each other in how to organize youth, how to do activism for climate justice and how we can mobilize more young people into the climate justice movement.

 

Aims:

  • Enhancing awareness of the need for organized action around climate justice in the volunteering and peace movement
  • Increased partnerships between peace/volunteering organisations and climate justice organisations
  • Coming up with new volunteering projects to support the climate justice movement and increasing the quality of existing ones
  • Sharing and creating approaches, workshops and tools to support young people in their organized action around climate justice (how to organize demonstrations and street actions, how to mobilize people, etc.)

 

Contents
We will exchange experiences and have training on the following topics:

  • Climate justice
  • Active citizenship and resistance
  • Organized action around climate justice within the volunteering and peace movement
  • Ideas and inspiration for local campaigning, events and activities

 

Outcome

  • New projects, demonstrations, local activist groups and alliances around climate justice
  • Online platform “30 Day Challenge: Organizing Climate Justice!” – website / mailing system with tools and approaches on how to start organized resistance against climate change in just 30 days (similar to e.g. Veganuary: https://veganuary.com/)

 

Methods:

We’re going to use a broad variety of non-formal education methods, such as world cafe, snowball discussions, research, silent exhibition, simulation games, theatre, visual harvesting, arts, energizers, role games, teambuilding games and more. There will also be projects visits to local initiatives.

Follow up (non-residential):
Participants implement workshop ideas, gather content for the 30 Day Challenge and localize the topics discussed at the seminar – including running local workshops + gathering feedback.

 

 

PARTICIPANTS’ PROFILE

  • be 18 years old or older
  • be able to come to the seminar by train or bus if possible, due to the high impact of flying on climate change
  • be active in sending organisation
  • be able to work in English language
  • be interested in the project topics and have strong motivation to act as multiplier
  • commit to implement the learned knowledge and skills in practice back home;
  • commit to send a report of the seminars to your sending organisation;
  • commit to actively participate from the beginning to the end of the project;
  • be motivated to work with people from different backgrounds

 

 

ACCOMMODATION and FINANCES:

All costs related to accommodation and food will be covered by the hosting organization.

Travel costs will be reimbursed up to 275 euros according to the rules and conditions of Erasmus+ programme.

 

 

PARTICIPATION FEE: NONE

SENDING FEE: 500 MKD

 

APPLY HERE!