We are delighted to share the results of the evaluation forms completed by the participants in the youth exchange activity ‘Learning from Nature – The Sahara Experience’.
This Key Action 1, led by the Fundació Catalunya Voluntària and hosted by the ASED association, took place in Nefta, Tunisia, on the edge of the desert, from November 7 to 14.
37 people from six Mediterranean countries participated in the activity, representing regions where water scarcity is a very real problem and where young people have much to contribute, do, and think about to improve the current situation, marked by drought, pollution, and the overexploitation of water resources. The activity raised awareness about the need for more responsible and sustainable water use, based on the testimonies of young people from affected regions, specifically those living in rural areas of Alentejo and Sicily, whose shared their experiences with young people from the Oran region (Algeria), Lebanon and from tourist cities – large and small, coastal and desert – in Tunisia and Catalonia.
The six groups presented their respective problems, and at the end of the activity, after a week filled with workshops, visits, and cultural events, the group dedicated an afternoon to creating campaigns addressing five common and urgent challenges present in the six Mediterranean countries: lack of biodiversity, fossil fuel overuse, water scarcity, desertification, and pollution. These campaigns were conceived, implemented, and presented during the activity.
The FCV has a practice of assessing daily, and again on the last day, the level of satisfaction, sense of group cohesion, participation in activities, fulfillment of program objectives (agreed upon by the partner organizations), and the development of skills and attitudes that are critical to the activity and whose practice is also part of the final evaluation. Thus, in this activity, dedicated to environmental challenges, we prioritized 7 competencies: empathy, teamwork, initiative, green thinking, cultural expression, resilience, and creativity.
According to the evaluation forms, completed anonymously and in writing on the last day, the activities effectively served to develop these competencies in a remarkable to excellent manner, with scores ranging from 8.55 (resilience) to 9.3 (green thinking), and an average score of 9 for empathy (!).
At FCV, we have used a non-formal, intercultural methodology since day one (18 years ago). It revolves around experience and fosters a sense of ownership among all participants in achieving the objectives. When asked whether and to what extent the activity met these objectives, the average evaluation score was also very positive, ranging from 7.68 to 8.55 (out of 10) and with an overall average score of 8.31.
The activity objectives and the overall evaluation results are the following ones.
- To increase awareness about environmental and climate challenges, looking into desertification and water management. Average score: 8,55.
- To collectively reflect on these challenges and find possible solutions from a local and Euro-Mediterranean perspective. Average score: 7,68.
- To foster Green Thinking Average score: 8,33.
- To create a certain sense of Euro-Mediterranean Green Citizenship. Average score: 7,96.
- To increase awareness about the impact of our actions on the natural environment, focusing on water management and desertification. Average score: 8,48.
- To find ways and solutions to prevent desertification and learn how to manage water and other natural resources properly. Average score: 8,55.
- To develop cultural expression, resilience, initiative, and creativity inspired by nature. Average score: 8,55.
- To encourage participants to promote environmental initiatives and engage other youth to be part of them. Average score: 8,5.
We copied 2 of the many positive comments from the people who carried out the activity, reflecting the benefits of using a non-forman and intercultural methodology:
“I really get a lot of things. I highlight the knowledge and soft skills. I want to highlight the Mediterranean feeling I developed through the week, I saw all the common topics we share (such as cultural traces or water and environmental problems) I also take knowledge of all kinds in a interdisciplinary and teamwork perspective. I also will implement in my daily life and future works the term of ‘Be Water’ and I leave with even more sense of purpose and direction to not stop these projects. Today I want to take advantage of it and promote actions that complement the project”.
“What I liked the most about the exchange was the diversity. I really appreciated having Arab countries included in the project and being able to interact with people from different cultures such as Portugal, Italy, Algeria, Lebanon and Tunisia. It’s completely different from what we used to, and it helped breaking stereotypes and prejudices. And issues the unity and the diversity of the group, what I liked the most is that it was for a good cause. We weren’t just meeting people, we were working together on a meaningful issue, and that made the experience even more valuable”.
The exchange, made possible with the support of the European Commission’s Erasmus+ program, is the result of over a year of collaboration between six non-profit and non-governmental organizations from Algeria, Spain, Italy, Lebanon, Portugal, and Tunisia. We hope to continue collaborating with them on similar future initiatives. In fact, we are already preparing a second edition, entitled “Learning from Nature – The Oasis Experience,” which we hope to hold in a southern Mediterranean country in October 2026. (We encourage you to stay informed.)
We sincerely thank the five partner organizations for their collaboration and commitment to the activity’s objectives, their invaluable help, and their experiences, an asset for the activity success. It has been a true privilege to form a team of 8 people, comprised of young people and the top leaders of 4 of the 6 partner organizations, with decades of experience organizing activities of this kind.
t this link, you can view a short video of the event (Thank you, Andrés!): http://youtube.com/watch?v=SKISkXnWH_U&feature=youtu.be
For more information about the activity and its results, send an email to projectes@catalunyavoluntaria.cat
Lluc Martí
