Young people championing Sustainable Development in Palermo, Italy

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From 1-6 April 2022, young people from all over Europe gathered in Palermo, Italy, for a 4-day educational programme entitled “YOU(th) for Sustainable Development”.

 

 

This activity was funded by the Council of Europe through the European Youth Foundation.

 

The “YOU(th) for sustainable development” project educated and supported 30 young people to initiate a sustainable change within their communities through organizing sport events (such as competitions, forums, open days, workshops and other).   

 

The project’s activities focused on strengthening the participants’ advocacy skills, so that they could lead by example towards more environment friendly sport events and sport programmes.   During the various educational workshops and activities, the participants developed practical guidelines and recommendations on sustainability and the use of Sustainable Development Goals in sport for youth leaders working in the sport sector.   

 

Throughout the 4-day training, ENGSO Youth equipped young participants with tools and educational resources on how to: make a sustainable change through sport;  contribute to the sustainable development goals guidelines with a focus on climate change;  make an impact in their communities.

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Throughout the 4-day training, ENGSO Youth equipped young participants with tools and educational resources on how to:

 

  • make a sustainable change through sport;
  • contribute to the sustainable development goals guidelines with a focus on climate change;
  • make an impact in their communities.

Day by day report 

 

The programme began with team building activities, where participants played human bingo to get to know each other better. The activity was followed by sessions on Sustainable Development goals, climate change, environmental protection and what global organisations, such as the CoE, are doing to tackle them. 

 

Participants took part in the “web of life” activity of the Compass Manual of the CoE, where they explored and discussed the interdependency of living and non-living things and the inevitable impact of all human activity on the environment and the consequences.

 

Day two included workshops on environmental sustainability within the local communities, sessions discussing the case studies and good practices, and outdoor activities inspired by the ENGSO Youth’s challenge 2002. Active hike was a perfect end of the day! 

 

Development of the guidelines and tools for youth and sport organisations, on how to mainstream environmental sustainability through their work and activities, were the highlight of day three. The programme concluded on the day 4 with a presentation of ENGSO Youth’s activities related to sustainability, planning of the future workshops and advocacy actions, discussing the legacy of the project and the steps forward – towards implementation of the sustainable development actions. 

 

The fruitful educational 4 days in Palermo offered the participants additional knowledge and understanding on the current state of climate change, pollution and environmental degradation, and the impact of those issues on the sport and youth across the globe. ENGSO Youth encouraged the young leaders to keep on fighting for a better and sustainable world, and reminds that every action makes a difference. 

 

The goal of this project was to motivate and turn young people into advocates and leaders influencing the local, national and global youth and sport policies by prioritising sustainable development goals.