«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!

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«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!

Live Sustainably II: results

The second edition of “Live Sustainably” took place in Máriahalom, Hungary, from 9th to 17th August 2022.

The training course lasted 8 intense days in which 23 participants from 10 different countries discovered, explored and discussed ways to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.

We deep-dived into topics and concepts such as the three divides, the transformative learning model, critical thinking, systems thinking, eco-anxiety, eco-competences, greenwashing…

We experienced forest bathing, becoming animal, deep listening, speaking from the heart, intention-setting, connecting with nature…

We used Deep Ecology, the Work that Reconnects, the Way of Council, the learning tribes, journalling… as ways to guide and aid our shared learning experience.

Evaluation results:

We asked participants to give a score out of 10 to different aspects of the training, and these are the average scores that we got:

How useful was this training course for you?: 8,7

How much were the objectives of this course achieved?

• To provide participants with the possibility to understand more the current environmental situation locally and globally. 7,3
• To improve competences (knowledge, attitudes and abilities) to be able to choose a more respectful life with the planetary boundaries and to facilitate effectively a change of habits towards sustainability among the young people you work with. 8,6
• To equip educators/youth workers with methods and practices to be able to facilitate group processes with young people on sustainability-related issues. 8,6
• To encourage critical thinking to learn to unmask frequent phenomena such as “greenwashing” (fake sustainability). 9
• To share resources and tools to inform and raise awareness of young people about the importance of caring for the environment, inspire and motivate them to modify their lifestyles towards more sustainable ones. 9,1
• To join an international group of youth workers interested in promoting sustainability among the youth they work with. 9,4

How did the methods and tools that we used on this training course support your learning process? 8,5

How satisfied are you with the work of the trainers? 9,2

We, the trainers team, are humbled and overjoyed by the fantastic evaluation results that we’ve got!!

We thank the participants for their trust and involvement and we already look forward to a third edition of “Live Sustainably”!.

From left to right: Erika Karman, Ági Berecz and Esther Vallado, the 3 trainers in «Live Sustainably» second edition.

My experience at the Youth Environmental Education Congress

By Carmelo Zamora.

«From the 13th to 17th March 2022 I was delighted and honoured to take part in the Youth Environmental Education Congress (YEEC) in Prague as a youth delegate from Spain.

YEEC is a side event from the World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC). Biodiversa supported us all the way and sent me and Nahia as Spanish participants at the congress. 

Carmelo and other participants in the congress during one of the outdoor activities.

During the congress, we delivered a message on the role of Youth in environmental sustainability education. The message was presented in the WEEC in the form of speeches, theatre, recycled poems, visual arts, comics and open space.

«Leading world educators and key actors in environmental education heard our message and now we will work on how to integrate it into their work.»

We also had the pleasure to discuss our message face to face with members of the European Commission, UNEP and the Ministry of Education and the Environment of the Czech Republic.

Throughout the week, we could also attend different workshops and interesting activities. There was a wide range of options, but I went to an activity organised by Hnutí Brontosaurus where we hung about 10 birdhouses around a local park.

Carmelo places a birdhouse in a local park during one of the activities included in the congress.

Another workshop I enjoyed a lot was an excursion to the Montessori school Na Beránku, there, the different teachers of the school showed us what they are doing about environmental education.

Another of the activities we enjoyed was a fair in which different organisations, projects and educators shared their work. Personally, I was proud to be representing and sharing how the University where I study (Linköpings Universitet) contributes to the field with the master’s programme I’m currently enrolled in (master’s programme of Outdoor and Sustainability Education).»

[This event was co-funded by the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union].