Call for participants: “Leadership in Regenerative Learning Communities»

[Update from 10th March 2023: all places have been covered. You can still apply if you want to enter the waiting list.]

Biodiversa is offering 4 places for the training course «Leadership in Regenerative Learning Communities», which will take place in the Educational Hub of Vale da Lama Farm (www.valedalama.net), a Regenerative Organic Farm located in the Algarve, South Portugal, from 19th to 26th April 2023.

LRLC is an educational project directed at youth workers from rural and semi-urban areas. It aims to deepen solutions and practices within the scope of environmental education/action, coming from a regenerative development paradigm.

The project is coordinated by Projecto Novas Descobertas (www.projectonovasdescobertas.org), and Biodiversa is one of the partner organisations, together with Keti Keta (PT), Boodville (ES), Palma Nana (IT) and Kalistratia (IT). There will be a total of 26 participants.

About you

Are you?

 – A youth worker with fewer opportunities*;
– Over 18 years old;
– Officially living in Spain;
– Fluent in English;
– Interested or with experience in Education/Action for Regeneration;
– Developing work in rural and/or semi-rural areas (this is preferable, but not compulsory).

About the place and learning opportunities

The facilities include camping area, indoor showers and toilets, indoor/ outdoor classroom/multipurpose space and indoor/ outdoor dining area. WiFi, charging stations, tools and didactic materials are also available. 

It’s close to the sea and Ria do Alvor nature reserve, an amazing estuary where a lot of our Ecosystem Regeneration Learning activities take place.

The spaces, practices and routines of Vale da Lama Farm offer the possibility for practical examples of Regenerative Agriculture and Permaculture solutions.

Costs

The project is funded by the Erasmus + program of the European Commission.

All project-related costs (accommodation, food, course materials, etc) will be provided to you free of charge.

Your travel costs will be refunded, up to 275 EUR. To be coherent with our values, we will ask you to find the most environmentally friendly means of transportation possible (avoid or minimize air travel) and to offset the CO2 emissions of your trip at your own cost if you do take a plane.

How to apply

If you got excited when reading this project description and you fit the profile, write us an email at asociacionbiodiversa@gmail.com explaining briefly how you meet the selection criteria, what excites you about this project and what you intend to get out of it.

Please state your full name and the title of this project in the email subject, and remember to tell us where you live (it must be somewhere in Spain). Your phone number can also be useful, as we may be calling some of you during the selection process.

The selection will be made on a rolling basis, so if you’re interested, apply as soon as possible!

Preference will be given to Biodiversa members, those of you who already cooperated with us somehow, and those of you living in or close to us here in Asturias.

* People with fewer opportunities means people who, for economic, social, cultural, geographical or health reasons, a migrant background, or for reasons such as disability and educational difficulties or for any other reasons, including those that can give rise to discrimination under article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental rights of the European Union, face obstacles that prevent them from having effective access to opportunities under the Erasmus + programme)

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«Live Sustainably»: testimonies, resources, gratitude and… 3rd edition?

We asked participants in the training course what they learned during the week. Here are some of their answers:

Concepts about sustainability that I did not know, an internal perspective to start the change from ourselves. thousands of resources to continue growing outwards and inwards. – Silvia, Spain

I was able to fulfil my expectations and was able to create a beautiful connection with people. It was also important for me to be in tune with myself, others and nature. Throughout the training I got to realise that I still have power inside me and that the fire that I thought was extinguished, is still here. – Fi, Portugal

I learned that: I am not alone, I can meet amazing people. There is a lot of positive energy to share and receive. Doing things with heart is one of the most important things. – Maja, Slovenia

I learned how to connect more to nature and take it as a self learning. I also learned methods, tools that I will use in my youth work. – Mica, Germany/Romania

I learned to listen to others, to myself and to nature. To be more gentle with myself and allow myself to feel the way I feel about the world around me. To look at things from a different perspective. – Mathilde, France

I learned to better respect my environment and have a better understanding of everything that is surrounding me. – Tiago, Portugal

The time to act is now. Start from yourself. – Brigjilda, Azerbaijan

I learned new ways to create activities and a sustainable lifestyle, new practices related to nature… and I got many resources to continue improving this knowledge. – Mota, Spain

Technical sustainable aspects. Being part of something bigger than me. Connect with my surroundings. – Afonso, Portugal

The most valuable experience was to pay attention to the professionalism and knowledge of the 3 trainers that I really appreciated. I will take this with me, in the heart, as an example. It empowered me to have trust in my inner voice and act more. – Andreea, Romania

Resources

During the training course, we collected many educational resources in a Padlet, which is freely available to all here: https://padlet.com/szatyorprojects/LS_2022

Gratitude

Much gratitude to everyone who made this experience possible!: Szatyor Association, particularly Era and Kolja, and their wonderful volunteers Paula and Valentina; Bara, Géza and the rest of the team at Biofalu, the venue which hosted our training; all 23 participants, and our 4 legged companion Kifli.

3rd edition?

If you, reader, are working in the international youth education field and are interested in hosting the 3rd edition of «Live Sustainably», don’t hesitate to get in touch and, together, we will make it happen!

«Live Sustainably» training course in 3 words

We asked participants in our latest course to describe the training experience in 3 words.

This is what we got!

Biodiversa en la feria de asociaciones

Biodiversa participó ayer en la feria de asociaciones organizada en Oviedo por la Asociación Youropía, dentro del marco de su proyecto «SEEDS».

Puesto de Biodiversa en la feria, atendido por Esther Vallado, Presidenta y Gestora de Proyectos Educativos de la asociación

«SEEDS» es un proyecto cofinanciado por el programa Erasmus + de la Comisión Europea, que reunió a 26 trabajadores juveniles de 16 organizaciones y 13 países. El proyecto creó un espacio para conectar organizaciones de diferentes áreas geográficas, para comprender sus realidades locales y el trabajo que llevan a cabo.

La feria de asociaciones tuvo lugar ayer Jueves 27 de Febrero de 2020 en el local vecinal «Los Ríos», en el barrio de Ventanielles, Oviedo. Durante la misma, Esther Vallado, Presidenta y Gestora de Proyectos Educativos de Biodiversa, presentó la propuesta de valor de la organización, consistente en su especialización en educación ambiental no formal (fuera de los currículos obligatorios, participativa, experiencial, voluntaria…) y en el uso de metodologías educativas basadas en la naturaleza, para jóvenes y adultos.

La directora de juventud nos da la bienvenida.

Algunos puestos de las organizaciones participantes

Otras organizaciones presentes en el encuentro fueron:
– Common Sense Youth Organisation, de Azerbaijan,
– Ladies Innovative Atelier, de Bulgaria,
– Proni Center for Youth Development, de Bosnia Herzegovina,
– League of Youth Voluntary Service, de Bielorrusia,
– Belarusian Youth Public Union «New Faces», de Bielorrusia,
– Have a Dream, de Egipto,
– Cabildo de Gran Canaria, España,
– Cámara de Comercio e Industria Italiana para España, España,
– United Societies of Balkans, de Grecia,
– Arciragazzi Portici Utopia Attanasio, de Italia,
– Azes Valboenses, de Portugal,
– The Civic Resource Centre, de Rumanía,
– Anlayis Icin Genclik Dernegi, Turquía,
– Tunisian Scouts, Túnez,
– Parcours le monde, France

… junto con otras de (o con sede en) Asturias, como:
– Cáritas Diocesana – CEA
– Asociación Retina Asturias
– Asociación Hierbabuena
– Colibris en Acción
– Cruz Roja Juventud

Foto de grupo de los asistentes

Muchas gracias a Youropía por organizar encuentros tan interesantes como bien facilitados y estructurados.

Live Sustainably TC – results and impact

Judging for the incredible number and quality of results and impact that our latest training course «Live Sustainably: How to live the present without compromising the future» had and is still having, I think we can safely say that it was our most sucessful training to date.

This was largely due to the work and commitment of us involved in the design and preparation of the experience, and in the skillfull conceptualisation and delivery of the educational programme, but also largely due to the fantastic participants that we had, which took the «Live Sustainably» experience to the next level, both professionally and personally.

Here’s a quick review of what happened after the training:

– Lovro, from Croatia, submitted his first Erasmus + project, which was approved in the 3rd round of this year: a youth exchange on plastic awareness for 36 young people, called «Say No to plastic». 3 of the partners on this project were also our partners in «Live Sustainably».

– Lilla, from Hungary organised and lead one educational hike per month since the end of the training (September, October, November). Where: in Budapest and surroundings. Target group: Erasmus students. During the walks they collected rubbish and Lilla conducted several activities that she learned during our training.

– Rocío, from Spain, made this cool video of the training: https://youtu.be/SbYnqZI1YoQ

– 4 participants published posts on their blogs with very positive reviews of the training: 

Filipa, from Portugal: https://www.vidaeconsciente.com/l/live-sustainably/

Lovro, from Croatia: https://bit.ly/2PyAPWt

Yolanta, from Poland/Spain: http://europaaqui.org/una-semana-para-empezar-a-cambiar-el-mundo/

Holly, from the UK: https://bit.ly/2tkgj2X

– We created the Youthworkers for Sustainability Network and, within it, to keep learning from each other, a series of webinars that everyone is contributing to and Filipa is managing:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tVHE_dSR7AIzsZ_JMXS0Cs2nQS2SNjzgNYro6RcKgCo/edit?usp=sharing

– Filipa, from Portugal, became a Circular Economy Club Organiser and, in this framework, organised 1 workshop and 3 lectures on sustainability: https://www.circulareconomyclub.com/members/filipa_gouveia/events/?ayi_paged=1

She also organised and run the project «Eco School». It happened on 20th November in a school in the city of Peso da régua, Portugal, for students from 14 to 16 years old. It comprised several activities: a bulk store owner shared an «eco talk» debate with the students. They discussed some documentaries (Earth, Baraka, Roten, Cowspiracy, Minimalism, The true cost) and then they (Filipa and the store owner) gave a workshop, to teach students and teachers to make their own natural cleaning products. Some teacher also run some activities.

Filipa running the workshop

Public attending the workshop

 

And on 2nd December she organised an “eco-talk” with Esther Vallado, the educational programme designer and lead trainer of «Live Sustainably»: https://youtu.be/jILSfcPj_dY, where they re-visit one of the most valued inputs during the training: the systems thinking iceberg.

– Jolanta, from Poland/Spain organised a weekend training for environmental mediators, from 30th November till 1st December, for participants between 16 and 24 years old.

 

– Estelle, from France, proposed to the cultural centre of the town where she lives the screening of one of the documentaries that we watched during the training.

– And the portuguese team is organising the 1st Gathering for Sustainability (1º Encontro pela Sustentabilidade). It will be an open space technology event (methodology that they learnt during the training) with the main objective of creating a Portuguese network of people and groups linked to sustainability through sharing and debate, creating collective intelligence, which will also include cleaning a forest plot and planting trees in an area devastated by Hurricane Leslie. The project has received the support of the city council of the city where Bruno, one of the participants, lives.

Very proud of our participants and of the success of this course!!

Call for participants for Up’Cycl’Art training course in France

UPDATE: COURSE COMPLETE!! 

Biodiversa is offering 2 places for Spanish residents to participate in the fully funded Training Course Up’Cycl’Art, organised by our partners Solafrika. The training is taking place from 20th to 31st of August in the French Pyrenees. It is a training for youth workers or youth leaders, or for young people willing to learn about the topic.

Aim: Solafrika created this training course because they observed that most people are far away from nature and have lost the basic connection with it. They also observed that on our planet there is more and more rubbish thrown in nature and polluting our environment. Most of the participants they are hosting on their projects are from big cities and therefore can’t apply the learnings from Solafrika’s countryside ecology (which is what their previous training courses were about). That’s why their latest training is about recycling and practical ecology applied to the city.

Methods: Participatory methods. Participants will be active and engaged in all daily life chores. Non-formal education tools will be used during the workshops. All participants should be ready to develop a critical mind, their analytical sense and to share their opinions with the others.

Venue: The training will take place in a rustic old farm belonging to our partner organisation SOLAFRIKA in the countryside, in a village called Bédeille (Ariège, France). The place is comfortable enough for everyone, but don’t expect a 5 stars hotel!

Programme:

The main activities will be:

• Raising awareness about our consumption habits and the recycling process through non-formal learning;
• Introduction to Up-cycling, with workshops;
• Meeting some actors from the cities ecological movement in Toulouse (Zero waste, incredible edible, shared garden, etc… )
• Workshops about small eco-building (outdoor living room with tyres, pallets, etc…)
• A workshop with local children where the youth leader will lead the workshops.

Participants requirements:

• Spanish resident;

• Over 18 years of age by 20th August 2018;

• Able to communicate fluently in English language (the whole course will be in English);

• Available to participate in the whole duration of the training course.

There will be 2 Spanish participants, and a total of 26 participants coming from Spain, Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Estonia, Slovenia and France.

Financial conditions and travel costs:

The training course will be implemented in the frame of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. The accommodation, food, tuition and materials will be covered fully by the grant, so they will be free for you. Insurance is obligatory and should be arranged and covered by each participant (just make sure you have a valid European Health Insurance card: Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea).

Your travel expenses will be covered up to 275 EUR. Travel costs will be reimbursed to all participants after submitting necessary travel documents (original tickets/invoices + boarding passes) and after filling in the form in the Mobility tool (you will receive precise instructions about this after your return).

If you are selected, you will be required to contribute to Biodiversa with 20 EUR towards the management costs of your participation. This will be your only real cost.

How to apply: Send a short (no more than 300 words) motivation email to asociacionbiodiversa@gmail.com with the subject line “NAME SURNAME Application to UpCyclArt”, introducing yourself (who you are, what you do…), explaining why you are interested in participating in this training course, what you expect to gain from taking part in it and why you should be selected. Include also your personal data: name, age, city or village of residence and contact telephone number.

Deadline to apply: Open until completion of the selection process.

Some more info: This project is organised by the French non-profit organisation SOLAFRIKA, in partnership with Biodiversa, Equipo Madragora (Spain), Metta (Slovenia), IBG (Germany), Alter Ego (Greece), Continuous Action (Estonia), thanks to the support of the European “Erasmus +: Youth” programme.

We look forward to receiving your expressions of interest!

«Save Our Seas» e-booklet

This publication was created by Argonauta association as an outcome of the Training Course «Save Our Seas», which they organised and hosted with the support and expertise of Biodiversa and other 7 partners.

It contains 6 workshops created by participants in the training. The booklet is meant to serve as open-source material for youth trainers/youth workers and other educators to use when including current environmental topics into their projects and workshops.

The workshops are “ready-to-use” as they are or they can be generators of further ideas, they can be adapted, or some parts of them can be used isolated. We hope SOS e-booklet will be useful and will inspire you in your future work!

Click here to download the booklet.