About the Project
“Nature Needs Us” was a project developed in collaboration with our partners and students from 4 schools from Romania, North Macedonia, Hungary and Czech Republic. It provided teenagers aged 13-17 a context to learn about environmental protection and eco-friendly practices through non-formal activities, as their educational institutions did not offer such subjects for them.
Project Moments
- D1: Introductory activities took place, including the project presentation, social contract establishment, and learning about YouthPass and key competencies. A first evaluation (expectations/fears) was conducted.
- D2: Name games, a risk and prevention activity, speed dating, and an Erasmus+ session were held. This was followed by an introduction to the circular economy and simulations on influencing climate change.
- D3: A hike with trash collection (plogging) was conducted. Participants built solar ovens to learn about renewable energy and created wildlife habitats.
- D4: Sustainable practices were identified, a circular fashion show was organized, and an eco-scavenger hunt took place. The mid-term evaluation was completed.
- D5: A cultural visit was made to the port city of Dr. Tr. Severin, including specific tasks and free time for exploration.
- D6: Based on acquired knowledge, participants reflected on an ideal eco-friendly community. A symbolic flower was planted (as a dissemination action), and the brochure on sustainable practices was created.
- D7: The final day consisted of the DEOR session, final evaluation (formal and informal), closing messages, and the final completion (third part) of the YouthPass (received digitally).
Why It Mattered
It was important, especially for teenagers, to learn about sustainable and eco-friendly practices and the need to protect the environment, particularly at that time when we saw more accentuated climate changes around us. Learning such practices from a young age helped shape individuals more anchored into the environmental reality of the moment, understanding the importance of taking action and being environmentally responsible, empowering the ones around them to do so as well.
Project Goal
The goal of our project was to increase the green-skills and environmental knowledge of 32 teenagers between 13-17 years old from Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary and North Macedonia, through non-formal activities, by the end of the project.
See the Project in Action
Project Brochure
The booklet on sustainable practices to implement in our daily lives was created by participants during the project activities and published on the “EPRP” results platform. It was presented to participants at dissemination events and distributed to them in digital format. Sharing the booklet helped raise awareness about environmental protection within the participating communities, offering young people a variety of practical methods they could apply in their everyday lives to help protect the environment and support long-term sustainability.