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ECOLab: Your Footprint is Youth Footprint
October 22, 2023 - October 29, 2023
Youth Exchange on Ecological Education
| 22-29 October 2023 | Dyarbakir, Turkey
What is this project about?
This international exchange aims to bring 40 participants from 8 countries together to discuss/share experiences about local and global ecological issues of today, information/knowledge about ways to protect the environment, raise awareness among young people about the importance of sustainable living, create an informative campaign
that each participant country can develop and implement in their community and try to find solutions together for this problem. We believe that environmental education has to come at an early age for everyone, and should be a fundamental pillar of a complete education nowadays. What we do, what we buy, what means of transport we use, how much trash we produce, how we handle it, how much water we use etc. Understanding our impact on the
environment and how we can reduce it is of fundamental importance for young people, not only because individual actions can radically affect ecological issues but also because radical collective actions require knowledge and tools from a younger age. First step for change is reflecting on individual behaviour and collective consequences, the second one is changing individual behaviour, spreading the word and organising collective efforts. These two
fundamental aspects in ecological education and environmental protection will be the main topic of our youth exchange.
Another aspect we are going to explore regards environmental practices in daily work with young people and in our activities. We want to address a common problem for our daily work which concerns the application of environmental-friendly practices in Erasmus+ projects. In this sense, we will discuss and exchange strategies and good practices with participants in order to make a contribution for the improvement of Erasmus+ projects.
Beside the topic a youth exchange is an occasion to meet international young people, to engage into intercultural dialogue and cooperation, to learn about other cultures and to develop long-lasting friendships. Last but not least, it is a lot of fun!
Methods
During the youth exchange we are going to use a broad variety of non-formal education methods, simulation games, various team building activities and especially digital games such as kahoot, flipped classroom, Word Cloud Generator, etc. We will focus on group work and discussions and will have various outdoor activities, quizzes, debates and field visits. We will as well try to collect ideas and materials so as to develop good practices and strategies.
Logistics and financial conditions
Accommodation & Food: All participants will stay in the guest house of Youth and Change Association in the city centre of Diyarbakir. It has 2 floors with 7 rooms and the building is made of steel within a few minutes walking distance to the Old Town. The food will be provided by our team in the guest house and during the whole week,
participants will try different traditional dishes.
Money, money, money: We can cover all essential costs of the program (including food, travel costs up to a maximum amount per country, visa costs, accommodation and content) through a European project grant by Erasmus+.
Travel expenses will be reimbursed according to the distance calculator rules and the maximum for each participant that can be reimbursed is:
- 275€ for Greece, Romania, Macedonia, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia;
- 360€ for Austria;
- 20€ for Turkey.
Sustainable travels?: We ask you to come to this project through more sustainable means of transport rather than flying (e.g. train/bus), if somehow possible. We will give you more financial support in case you decide to reach the venue through sustainable travel.
Who can participate?
People living in Austria, Greece, Romania, Macedonia, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey. We unfortunately cannot make exceptions due to our funding rules.
People with fewer opportunities prioritised. We will prioritise applications by people with disabilities and chronic health conditions, migrants, LGBTQIA+ people and working-class youth. We will do our best to make the project a safer space and take the individual needs of the participants into account.
Everyone who comes should be motivated and interested in the topic, committed to participate in group discussions and to bring ideas for project, able to communicate in English and committed to carry out follow-up activities (sharing project results with sending organisations andother fellows and participate in online activities after the exchange).
No previous experience with the topic needed. You are welcome in this exchange even if you have no experience in the topic at hand.
Vaccinated or recovered ideally. At the moment, there are no entrance rules around COVID-19 anymore. But due to the constantly changing situation, this might change and then we would inform you.
Be able to participate in the whole period 22-29 October 2023! Due to our funding, we cannot reimburse you for your travels or other expenses if you arrive late to the project or leave early.
How can I apply?
You can send your candidature by sending an email coordination.sciaustria@gmail.com writing “PARTICIPANT ECOLAB TURKEY” as mail subject.
Deadline for sending the candidature is 8 September 2023.
Contacts
For any request do not hesitate to reach us out!
SCI AUSTRIA
coordination.sciaustria@gmail.com (Gianmichele)
+43 660 9277921 (Andrea)
Youth and Change Association (Dyarbakir, Turkey)
genclikvedegesim@gmail.com (Umut)
Thank you and see you in Dyarbakir!