Last month, our NGO participated in the youth exchange held in Poland. As the world faces pressing environmental challenges, it becomes increasingly important to raise awareness and inspire action among youth. In this blog, we will delve into a youth exchange program that explored using the newly created Eco Tournament as a tool for learning and testing environmental knowledge and awareness.
It is very important to pinpoint that the core endeavor of the project is to inform and educate youngsters on the actual situation of climate change that the planet is undergoing in terms of challenges, limitations, and eventual solutions to fight against the ramifications of the ecosystem’s deterioration. The planet is suffering, and the only option humanity has is to be aware of it first, take action, and adopt a green lifestyle that will enable mother earth to take a new breath and flourish as it used to.
The first day of the project was a chance for all participants to get to know each other through elaborated games that facilitate the process of ice-breaking. In this sense, the bond created on the first day permitted all participants to easily communicate and co-exist while celebrating their ethnical, religious, and religious backgrounds and differences. Later on, the afternoon session was fully dedicated to debating and sharing thoughts regarding the environment and sustainable development. The debates were constructive and argument oriented. Lastly, each group presented small presentations about a green lifestyle where they all displayed ways of rising awareness, adopting promoting, and improving modern methods of sustainable development.
On the second day, the morning session allowed participants to have a first-hand experience of protecting the climate. The immediate take of action evinces the youngsters’ willingness to change and improve the actual state of affairs. On the other hand, this activity was performed while all participants visited the city of Puck. The afternoon was left for presentations per country, where each nationality explained its environmental situation.
The Third day consisted of two main activities, a full guided tour of Puck and the production of short videos regarding relevant solutions to protect mother earth from air pollution. The tour had for purpose of depicting the main strategic solutions that Puck adopted to protect its own environment without missing the chance to visit some historical monuments. The afternoon was mainly about relevant solutions that individuals can assimilate to limit the ramification of climate change and raise awareness of the drastic aftermaths of the environment’s deterioration.
Furthermore, the fourth day was a free day, when all participants seized the chance to visit adjacent cities and immerse themselves in the beauty of European architecture.
The fifth and sixth days concentrated on creating a brochure depicting water challenges. The purpose of this activity overall is to plunge participants deeply into the main issues the planet suffers from regarding water scarcity, pollution, etc…. The next day was a field trip to another city to conduct interviews with locals and pose relevant questions regarding Pols’ attitude vis-à-vis environment and sustainable development.
Not to forget all the games, energizers, and most importantly the cultural night as the hallmark of the whole exchange. Participants share their ethnical, historical, and cultural specificities through videos, presentations, dances, traditional clothes/food, and souvenirs.
In conclusion, the Eco Tournament proved to be an effective and engaging tool for promoting environmental awareness and knowledge among the youth exchange participants. Through the tournament, participants were able to test their knowledge, exchange ideas, and learn from each other, while also providing valuable feedback for improvement.
