Project objectives

The overall objectives of Advocate4Environment

The Advocate4Environment project aims at promoting participation of young people in volunteer work and advocacy on environmental issues. The project intends to achieve this goal by developing learning materials that (a) give insight into the history of environmental advocacy, and (b) provides young people and youth workers with sources for inspiration, and the tools to develop new forms of advocacy.

The Advocate4Environment project proposes an innovative and engaging framework to raise awareness of environmental challenges - particularly among the younger sections of society. Through education in environmental protection and sustainable development, the project intends to foster the civic involvement of young people in these matters through responsible advocacy.

While the initial focus of the project is addressed to young people who want to become advocates for the environment, the partners are convinced that the resources developed will be beneficial to any young person who wants to develop an advocacy mindset with social impact. Apart from the immediate results of the project, the partnership seeks to develop key skills in young people that can be expanded beyond the immediate subject of environmental advocacy. By empowering young people and giving them the tools to become active advocates, we also equip them with the skills to create, and to spread awareness of their creations through effective communications.

The project aims

• Promote participation of young people in environmental protection through advocacy.
• Make young people aware and create a common understanding in the protection of the environment and its related problems and to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and motivation to work individually and collectively to find solutions to current problems and to prevent those which may arise in the future.
• Promote social mobilization to develop alternative responses to global environmental problems.
• Train youth workers to develop their skills in environmental education, preparation and monitoring of advocacy campaigns, as well as the development of leadership skills among young people.

The target groups

1. Young people who want to become activists, young volunteers.
2. Youth workers, volunteer managers, educators, and NGO staff.

The key actions of the project

• Developing an environmental education and advocacy training curriculum, which will promote the knowledge and understanding of concepts related to the environment and sustainability, and the development of conscious and critical individuals by strengthening advocacy practices
• Developing an easy-to-read youth advocacy handbook for youth workers and youngsters who want to become advocates, which will promote the impact of advocacy to empower youth participation
• Creating promotional videos to showcase advocacy activities developed by young people throughout Europe
• Organise a series of events in all partner countries to promote and showcase the intellectual outputs developed
• Organise a short-term training event in Ireland, which will provide a tailored training programme for youth workers of all partner countries. The training will cover effective pedagogical methodologies to be applied while working with youth and prepare youth workers to use the materials created by the project in a dynamic and appealing way for young people.