We are pleased to inform you that, after more than 2 years of preparation, we have received support from the Erasmus + program of the European Commission and the German national agency to carry out the project for innovation and exchange of good practices ‘ECOrasmus’.
The objective of this initiative is to collect and mainstream ecological and sustainable practices that allow us to organize mobility, exchange and learning activities that, regardless of the topics they deal with, are ecological and sustainable.
If we take into account that there are thousands of activities taking place each year at the international level with the support of community action programs and that, therefore, the amount of resources that are spent is enormous. We consider that in coherence with the objectives of the program and with the mission of the entities that manage these resources, they must be managed in the best possible way: without causing a negative impact on the environment.
If we think of the hundreds of non-profit entities that organize activities each year in each of the 33 E+ programme countries, as well as the thousands of people with responsibility in these entities who have to make multiple decisions , taking into consideration the environmental impact of these decisions, it seems urgent to collect and disseminate the practices that help us to care about it.
Once we have accepted the fact that the entities and managers themselves do not have enough experience or knowledge about the most sustainable practices, despite being interested in knowing them, the next step is to understand as part of our responsibility as managers, educators or youth workers not only raise awareness, but also avoid the exaggerated consumption of resources in the activities we organize, incorporating new ecological and sustainable practices which will be helping to solve the serious climate and environmental crisis, also being an example.
Over the next two years we are going to organize activities to strengthen the capacities of those responsible for youth non-profit organizations who want to apply these ecological and sustainable practices in their activities.
Our commitment is to collect, create and disseminate information and training resources toward the publication of a Guide of Ecological and Sustainable Practices for Youth Organizations that we want to present in the beginning of 2024.
The guide ‘ECOrasmus’ will be free, accessible online and multilingual, since it will be published in English, Catalan, Spanish. We will compile management methods, recommendations, practices and innovative ideas so that youth activities become more ecological and sustainable, without negative impact.
The initiative ‘ECOrasmus’, coordinated by the German NGO European Intercultural Forum, takes place in association with the Fundació Catalunya Voluntària together with 3 other entities: The Tree Party (Netherlands), Graphistes de l’ombre (France) and MeOut Group (Hungary).
If you want more information about the activity, we encourage you to send an email to projectes@catalunyavoluntaria.cat
