Youth and Environment in Europe: Becoming an ECO – YOUTH LEADER

Course Description

The energetic passion for fighting climate crisis are among the accomplishments of the 15-year-old activist Greta Thunberg, who proves that young people can bring the change we want to see! Her passion and determination motivated millions of young people in more than 125 countries who walked out of schools, colleges, and universities in the biggest student climate action #FridaysforFuture. Nowadays, young people in Europe need to be more and more aware, of environmental issues, and on ways to bring change starting from their daily habits to organizing actions in their communities.

Europe faces multiple challenges in terms of securing ecological sustainability and addressing climate change. The high percentage of greenhouses emissions, plastic and food waste, pesticide use, and other threats to biodiversity demands people, and especially young people, to make caring for the environment, part of their lives.

This course aims to equip youth workers, working with young people with the key skills and knowledge required, in order to be better prepared in educating young people on environmental issues, inspire them in adopting an ecological lifestyle/thinking, and encourage them in becoming youth activists in specific environmental actions.

Topics Include

• Environmental issues in Europe and Climate Crisis
• Going green by adopting an eco-friendlier lifestyle and greenwashing
• Leadership attitudes/ skills and tools for leading green projects and skills for motivating young people to adopt an eco-lifestyle
• Raising awareness of the community on global environmental challenges and sustainable development by designing concrete green actions (by youth workers that can motivate young people to get actively involved on a local level).

Aims in relation to the development of your organisation

To equip youth workers with knowledge and skills related to:

•  Environmental issues in Europe and Climate Change.
• Their lifestyles-habits (to critically analyze them), and become more responsible toward the environment by changing their habits.
• Greenwashing and on how to distinguish good, green solutions, products and services from greenwashing.
• Development Leadership attitudes/ skills and tools for leading campaigns/actions with young people.
• Fostering youth participation in environmental initiatives.
• Development of environmental actions aiming to raise awareness of the public and policymakers on environmental challenges in Europe (or on a specific environmental problem their facing in a community).
• Tools and methods for engaging young people and promoting active citizenship.