EcoHealth
Start date: Feb 15, 2016,
End date: Jul 14, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
EcoHealth is a Youth Exchange with the participation of 36 young volunteers and members of youth organisations from Cyprus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. The project objectives are in line with 2 of the general objectives of Erasmus+ (i) to contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy and (ii) to promote the European values.According to the European Strategy Europe 2020 - which has Smart, Sustainable and inclusive growth in its core- Europe needs to address its own structural weaknesses as the world is moving fast. The expansion of the world population from 6 to 9 billion will intensify global competition for natural resources, and put pressure on the environment. Climate and resource challenges require drastic action. Strong dependence on fossil fuels and inefficient use of raw materials expose European consumers and businesses to harmful and costly practices contributing to the climate change. Sustainable growth, a priority on the heart of Europe 2020 requires the promotion a more resource efficient and, greener Europe.The main objective of this project is to promote one of the strongest European values: our respect for the environment while at the same time stress the importance of healthy lifestyles for the youth.The specific objectives of the Youth Exchange are:a) To explain what environmental sustainability, healthy lifestyle and biodiversity mean.b) To give and create space for the participants to exchange ideas and good practices on the field, sharing innovative and effective activities, campaigns and projects.c) To foster new co-operations at a European level among the participating organisations.d) To strengthen our knowledge on ways how to communicate to the rest of the society and world, what environmental sustainability and healthy lifestyle are.e) To enrich and develop the knowledge and skills of the participants as it comes to the practices that should be followed for environmental sustainability and how to guide other young people to a more healthy lifestyle.f) To open a new window in young peoples' employment related to the environment.The activities to be held during this project are based in non-formal education methods and among others will be based on energizers, building activities, brainstorming, field visits, team discussions, role play and simulation, and presentations. All the activities require active participation of the participants. Most of the activities will be held indoors but due to the nature of the project there are going to be some outdoor activities as well. Through the field visit and the visit in the forest, the participants will obtain the knowledge on the topic that will help them absorb details by practicing them in real time. During this Youth Exchange, young people will be informed about the value of the environment and how sustainable life can contribute to healthy youth lifestyles.Terms such as environment, health, sustainability and nutrition will be combined so that young people can understand that everything is interrelated. A series of interactive sessions and outdoor activities and visits will be included so that the participants can obtain a theoretical and practical background on this topic at the same time. During this project we will foster co-operation between youth and environmental organizations in order to create awareness about the importance of Youth Work in environmental sustainability and healthy lifestyles. Through this Youth Exchange, people, ideas, practices, information and knowledge about the environmental sustainability and healthy lifestyle will be promoted and developed. With the use of non-formal education, youth organisations can help the environment, contribute to fighting climate change and create new business and employment for young people.