Young people across Europe gather in Dublin to explore environmental solutions

Young people from across Europe have visited Dublin to take part in a week-long event focused on exploring new innovative youth-led solutions to environmental issues faced across the world and to enhance young people’s health and well-being through nature.

The event will also explore how to enhance young people’s health and well-being through nature.

ECO-UNESCO, has teamed up with five other organisations to roll out a Youth Action for Nature and Well-Being programme that aims to  relieve eco-anxiety and support young people to learn more about making a positive environmental impact.

As part of the programme, young people from Latvia, Spain, Scotland, Slovakia and across Ireland have gathered in Dublin to take part in a range of activities including reflection sessions, field trips and workshops to explore eco-anxieties, sustainability, environmental solutions, transformative learning, peer education and global perspectives.

Elaine Nevin, National Director of ECO-UNESCO said: “In a recent survey that was conducted by ECO-UNESCO, 60% of young people aged 16 to 25 feel anxious about climate change.

“It’s a privilege to be leading  the Youth Action for Nature and Well-being programme with our partners from across Europe, which focuses on developing a wider strategy to reduce these climate fears and promote transformative learning, action project work and nature-based strategies for positive mental health.

“Hosting this week-long event as part of this European-Wide programme has been a really beneficial tool for young people to take the time to reflect on nature and their own personal well-being while meeting like-minded individuals who share the same interests in tackling climate change.

“We hope that this programme  will help these young people develop life-long skills in the context of climate action and environmental projects.”

The Youth Action for Nature and Well-being programme is a partnership between ECO-UNESCO, Gaia Education, Youth 4 Smile, Resilience Earth, Ecowellness Consulting and OZ VIPA SK that is designed to to create new ways of working with young people that combine areas of transformative learning, action competence and Nature-based strategies for positive mental health.

The programme will test best practices in learning and creating environmental projects and produce toolkits, resources and trainings co-designed by young people.

ECO-UNESCO hopes that the tools and outputs developed from this programme will be implemented by educators, youth workers and by young people themselves across Europe to help build towards a sustainable future.