A youth exchange in Alicante bringing 36 young Europeans into environmental volunteering, from beach cleanups to tree planting and waste reduction.
Green Volunteers 4 ECO Future addresses environmental challenges by building a culture of volunteering among young Europeans. Research indicates that cultivating an environmental self-identity is linked to more pro-environmental behaviour and a stronger sense of active citizenship, and that insight is the starting point of the project: young people take part in beach cleanups, tree plantation drives and waste management initiatives rather than only learning about them.
The exchange brought together 36 participants in Alicante, seven young people and a group leader from each partner country, plus an experienced facilitator. It used non-formal education throughout: interactive workshops, group discussions, simulations, outdoor challenges and learning by doing. Participants were aged 18 to 30, with priority given to those facing economic, social or geographical barriers.
The project set out to encourage active green volunteering, promote active citizenship across Europe, raise awareness of climate change, and develop communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills, while making volunteering accessible to young people from ethnic minorities, low-income families and remote areas.
Participants produced a toolkit of local and international environmental volunteering opportunities, a community clean-up initiative in Alicante, a podcast series, five infographics on volunteering opportunities, a website collecting the materials created, and twenty participant testimonials.
Co-funded by the European Union · Erasmus+ KA152-YOU