ReThink

6 March 2010

Program: Erasmus+, KA2 – Partnerships Cooperation in the field of youth
Project leader: Change Your Life Now – CYLN – Greece
Duration: October 22 – October 29, 2023,

Partners:

• Poland – Reflections on Europe
• Romania – Asociatia Bistrita Business Academy
• Lıthuania – VsI “uMunthu”
• Italy – COMUNE DI CINISELLO BALSAMO
• Portugal – Psientífica – Associação para a promoção e desenvolvimento social – Portugal

Goals of the project:

-Expanding the knowledge of youth in the field of zero waste

-Exchanging experiences of participants from different countries on reducing the waste of water, food, energy or materials, among others

-Zero waste prevention, gaining knowledge of what actions lead to reducing waste

-Discussıng how pro-ecoliogical activities affect both the environment and the health and well-being of society

Summary:

From October 22-29, ROE delegates participated in the “REthink” youth exchange, which took place in Chania, Greece. The exchange was part of the “Erasmus+” program, funded by the European Union. The aim of the project was to expand the knowledge of participants from several countries on zero waste prevention and to exchange experiences on this topic.,

Project progress:

Day one

The participants spent the entire first day integrating with their peers from other countries. The organizers from Greece ensured an atmosphere conducive to safe and effective learning. At the end of the day, an intercultural evening was held, where participants had the opportunity to present the culture and traditions of the country.

Paweł Celuch

“The exchange in Crete first of all surprised me with the atmosphere. From the first day we integrated so much that it was a pity to return to Poland. Despite the fact that it was an educational exchange, we had a lot of time for sightseeing and relaxing from everyday life.”

Day two

The group spent the morning on a sunny beach, continuing integration activities. This was followed by a DIY workshop, where groups made up of participants from different countries created waste recycling garbage cans that were used for the rest of the project.

Day three

Day three was devoted to reflection, sharing experiences on ecology and the zero waste initiative from the perspective of each country participating in the exchange. The Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Italian and Portuguese teams were tasked with preparing a presentation on ecology in their country. Is ecology popular among young people, are there legal conditions towards ecology? At the end of the day, all groups discussed the differences in attitudes to ecology in EU member states and came up with conclusions on the topic.

Day four

It was another day dedicated to DIY workshops. This time the participants prepared boxes for storing compost.

Day five

The task of the participants was to share the knowledge they gained about composting waste, with the residents of Chania and beyond. To this end, a small local campaign was conducted and boxes made the previous day were handed out to the residents they met.

There was also information on social media…. Participants recorded informative videos and prepared posts about recycling.

The active day was crowned with a joint beach cleanup.

Day six

Last day of the exchange. The group went to E.M.A.K., or the Mechanical Recycling and Composting Plant in Chania. There, they were shown how the waste treatment process and measures to prevent environmental pollution. This was followed by an excursion to the center of Chania.

In the evening, the participants summed up the project, shared their impressions of the exchange. Under a starry sky, the group spent their last evening at the Chania campground….

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