EKO is happy to announce that one more amazing youth exchange has been successfully completed. The project “You need it or you want it” united 42 young participants from Bulgaria, Greece, Czechia, Spain, Poland, Romania, Turkey and Latvia. It was coordinated by the Romanian Organization ODEN NEHOIU, and took place in Busteni, Romania from 20th of February to 3rd of March 2023.

The aim of the project was to prevent and combat the negative effects of uncontrolled and irresponsible consumption on the quality of life and the sustainability of the environment

Aims & Objectives of the project

1. – increasing the responsibility of youngsters to reduce uncontrolled consumption of products, resources and services and limiting harmful effects on healthy life
2. – promoting upcycling of wastes and reusable materials as a tool for avoid or limit pollution of environment
3. – increase employability of youngsters from small communities by developing entrepreneurial initiatives for valorize trash and recyclable materials
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Workshops & Activities of the project per day through the eyes of the participants

The methodology is based on non-formal education methods including presentations, world cafe, getting to know each other, workshops in plenary and teams, outdoor activities, intercultural evenings, visits, reflection and evaluation according to agenda.

Day 1

The first day of the project was mostly about getting to know each other! The amazing coordinator of the program  did a short introduction of the program and its aims, participants introduced themselves and they set some house rules and safety measures. Αlso, the secret friend game started, in which they randomly picked another participant and they were supposed to make him/her nice gestures. By the afternoon, they started the first Workshop: Our impact as consumers. After that, the coordinator presented them a short introduction of Erasmus+ Programs and Youthpass and key competencies. By the end of the day, they played some board games in the conversion room.

Day 2

The team was very lucky, since the weather was good and that extremely helped  the implementation of the outdoor activities of the program. This day included a city bound, discovering realities of Busteni and ecologizing the forest. In the second part of the day they learnt more about what we consume through a workshop. Everyone was ready for the first intercultural night of the project!

Day 3

The morning had a new energiser and then the participants got involved in a trust and team building game. During the afternoon session, participants attended Workshop 3: Why do we consume so much? through a world cafe. At the end of the day they had an evening hobby.

Day 4

The fourth day began with breakfast and the morning energizer. Following that, the exhilarating  and demanding Workshop 4.1: Consumer profile: responsible or not? The first part of this project about  the  consumer profile contained the input, brainstorming and creating posters. After lunch, the second part was initiated and successfully completed which was focused on role playing and acting. Succeeding the dinner, they had theme night ‘’Dragobete VS Valentine’s day’’. 

Day 5

A really demanding day started with the beginning of the 5th Workshop: Do we know what we consume? Participants should visit shopping centers and supermarkets in order to see and study what they do. During the 2nd part of the workshop: Healthy or toxic? Let’s check what we consume’’  they made an online research. After the midterm evaluation, they prepared for the 2nd intercultural night!

Day 6

The whole day was devoted to the 6th Workshop: ‘’Still there is a chance to reduce the impact of consumerism on the environment’’ beginning with the 1st phase of upcycling. After lunch, they continued to the 2nd phase of upcycling and how to create objects in progress. After this session, one exciting night waited for them. The Romanian traditional evening was great, with barbeque and traditional food, local dancings and of course lots of fun!

Day 7

After breakfast, participants started the day working on the 3rd part of Workshop 6, which included the 3rd phase of upcycling ‘’creating objects in progress’’ and the 4th phase with the parts of exhibition and evaluation.  In the final stage, they participated in a rope debate for the 6th workshop. The last intercultural evening ended successfully  that day!

Day 8

The 8th day the participants worked on the Workshop 7: ‘’You need it or do you want it? – Can we change the situation ?’’. They created teams, while they brainstormed about the workshop. In the second part, they gave their own ideas,  whereas they prepared the scripts, filming and the editing. An interesting video evening, in their free time, was waiting for them!

Day 9

After breakfast, participants continued working on the Workshop 7 working in teams in order to film and edit through the visual campaign teams. The last part contained the final editing and the presentations of results as well as a workshop evaluation. The participants enjoy an evening to welcome officially the spring.

Day 10

The last day of the project started with an amazing cultural visit  in the cities Bran and Brasov. After spending the whole morning there, participants were informed for youthpass certificate and they did the last evaluation of the project. Last night was full of emotions during the youthpass ceremony and they closed this project with an unforgettable party!

An amazing opportunity and great experience for EKO’s team

George, Theodoros, Athanasios, Anastasia and Theodoros were the members of this amazing Greek team whom we really wanna thank for all their contribution and collaboration throughout the project!

As EKO, we are very grateful for that amazing opportunity given to the Greek team and we thank our partner Bogdan Chiriacescu and Tolea, the rest members of the hosting organization for all their hard work and for creating such an impactful project!