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 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.

«Live Sustainably» second edition: about to start

The second edition of our acclaimed training course «Live Sustainably: How to live the present without compromising the future» is about to start (9th-17th August), this time in Máriahalom, a fantastic location in Hungary.

The first edition of the training was hosted in Asturias by Biodiversa in September 2019.

We are very happy to have one of our training courses happen again in another country and very thankful to Szatyor Association for taking it over!

Call for participants: «Act now», Senegal

[Deadline to apply: Monday 4th July at midday]

Biodiversa is offering 2 places in a EU-funded youth exchange that will take place in Senegal, Africa, from 3rd to 17th September 2022. This is the first activity of many within the long-term project «Greening International Youth Work».

PROJECT DETAILS:

3rd and 17th are travel days. We will first spend a few days in Dakar, receiving information about the project and the reality in Senegal. We will then travel together to St.Louis, 280 km north of Dakar, where we will be conducting the mangrove regeneration project.

There will be 2 online meetings with the selected participants well prior departure, to clarify all the information regarding conditions at the destination, vaccinations needed, etc, and solve all possible doubts.

CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION:

You are:

• Spanish resident or Spanish national;
• Between 18 and 30 years of age at the time of travel (you can be 30, but not 31);
• Have good command of either English or French language;
• Motivated to spend 12 days in Senegal helping regenerate mangrove forests;
• Physically fit to accomplish the project’s tasks (collect tree saplings, plant trees in muddy waters…).

Preference will be given to Biodiversa members and former course participants, as well as to those of you living in or close to Asturias.

COSTS:

You will be provided with basic but comfortable accommodation in Senegal during the project dates, as well as food and local transportation, at no cost for you. The local activities will also be organised at no cost for you.

Travel insurance will also be covered fully with the project grant, so at no cost for you.

In adition, 100% of your international travel costs will be refunded, up to 530 EUR. For this you will have to keep all your travel documents and boarding passes and send them to us after your return. For coherence with the project topic, only one return flight is allowed (there are direct flights from Madrid to Dakar).

The only cost for you will be a participation fee of between 50 and 120€, depending on what you can afford and what you consider that this experience is worth. We will use part of this fee to compensate your flight’s carbon emissions (1.154 kg CO2) through the Naturefriends Climate Fund, and the rest to contribute to the project administration costs. If this fee is an obstacle to your participation, please let us know.

HOW TO APPLY:

Write an email in English to asociacionbiodiversa@gmail.com explaining how you meet all the selection criteria and why you want to participate in this project. Please include your mobile phone number and prefered times/dates for us to contact you. We will be calling the pre-selected participants during the first week of July.

Deadline to apply: Monday 4th July at midday.

Read you soon!

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!!

Do you believe in your dreams?

Do you want to know the secrets behind successful and sustainable projects?

Biodiversa will be sending 3 lucky participants to Slovakia to take part in this life-changing experience with John Croft himself, the founder of the Dragon Dreaming project management methodology.

This methodology comes from the aboriginals in Australia and is currently used by Airbus and other leading international companies as the most effective project management methodology known to date.

Apply here before 31st March.

 

Call for participants for «Save Our Seas» training course in Croatia

Biodiversa is selecting 4 spanish participants for this fantastic international training course in Murter, Croatia, from 1st to 9th September 2017.

The aim of the training course is to connect marine topics with non-formal methods and develop new workshops. The specific objectives of this training are for participants to:

• Understand the relationships between pressures from human activities and climate influences and their effects on marine ecosystems worldwide;

• Be encouraged to use the latest scientific facts in developing new non-formal environmental education methods and tools;

• Develop 8 new educational workshops, which will be disseminated worldwide in an e-booklet. 

PARTICIPANTS PROFILE

You are welcome to apply if:

• You are Spanish or currently having official residence in Spain,

• You are a youth trainer with a passion for environment, aiming to build your competencies in marine environmental education and usage of non-formal learning methods; or you have the potential and need to develop training competencies and act after the course as a trainer for Erasmus+ projects;

• You show initiative and willingness to self-direct your own learning process;

• You are prepared to reflect on and question your own beliefs and approaches;

• As a youth trainer you are motivated to learn about and make use of the Erasmus+ Programme for creating or strengthening international partnerships.

Fill in the application form before Wednesday May 24th. DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL 7th JUNE.

Youth Exchange «Art for the Environment» – Call for participants

Youth Exchange «Art for the Environment»
When: 9-15 November 2015
Where: Kapraluv Mlyn, Ochoz u Brna, Czech Republic

The Youth Exchange:

This Youth Exchange is about using art and creative ideas for environmental projects. It will bring young people together to learn from each other by exchanging skills, knowledge and experiences in a non-formal setting. During the youth exchange the participants will be responsible for facilitating workshops and supporting each other. Although they will share enthusiasm for sustainable lifestyles and protecting the planet, their views may be challenged in an intercultural setting where they learn new things.

Aims and objectives:

The aim of the youth exchange is to provide a space for participants to share and develop their creative skills in order to create environmental projects to support their organisations and communities.

Objectives:

– Develop participants’ creative and communication skills to support their personal and professional development;
– Provide a space for intercultural exchange by sharing arts and music from different cultures;
– Explore creative ways to raise awareness and understanding of environmental issues in local communities around Europe;
– Connect participants to their local communities and to each other.

Financial conditions and travel costs:

The Youth Exchange will be implemented in the frame of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. The accommodation, food, visa fees and materials will be covered fully by the grant. Insurance is obligatory and should be arranged and covered by each participant (the European Heatlh Insurance Card from the Spanish Social Security is sufficient to this effect).

According to rules of the Erasmus+ Programme, the travel expenses will be covered up to 170 EUR per person. 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 be required to contribute to Biodiversa with 20 EUR towards the participant’s management costs.

How to apply:

Biodiversa is selecting 4 participants from Spain, who are expected to:

– Live in Spain,
– Be between 18 and 30 years old,
– Be active in environmental protection (as volunteers or professionals),
– Have creative skills to share (as artists or amateurs),
– Be interested in intercultural exchanges,
– Would like to organise an activity connected with art and the environment.
– As the common language in the youth exchange will be English, participants should be able to communicate fluently in this language.

To apply for participation complete this form and send it by email to Teresa Llopis, the group leader (nenalkazar@hotmail.com), putting Biodiversa in copy (asociacionbiodiversa@gmail.com) before 1st October stating “(Your name and surname) – Application for Art for the Environment” in the subject line.

How to be a green entrepreneur – second chance to join this great project!

Our colleagues from Youth and Environment Europe are extending the deadline to apply for the training course «How to be a green entrepreneur», which will take place in Prague from 12th to 20th October this year. So if you haven’t sent your application yet, you are still on time to join this fantastic project! The new deadline is 6th September 2015.

Embodied Leadership training course – call for participants

Dates and place: 28th May – 7th June 2015, in Liepaja, Latvia

Embodied leadership is an intensive training course aiming to increase competences for responsible, empathic an effective leadership. During 9 days, participants from 10 countries will gain more self-awareness, develop their capacity to communicate in compassionate and non-violent manner, and learn to bring out the best in themselves and people they are working with. Through physical, mental and spiritual exercises and group practices, participants will experience the concept of leadership that connects body, mind and spirit.

Costs: Accomodation, food and training costs are covered by the Erasmus + programme of the European Commission. Travel costs will be reimbursed up to 360 EUR. Membership with Biodiversa (15 EUR).

Conditions for applying:

– Be a Spanish resident;

– Preferably youth workers, facilitators and/or educators, as well as people working in non-governmental, non-profit organisations and social entreprises who wish to increase cooperation and dialogue, engage and mobilise institutions and individuals for solving various challenges in their communities;

– Be 22 years old or older;

– Be fluent in English;

– Be a member of Biodiversa (if you already are a member, you will have more chances to be selected. If you are not a member and you still get selected, you will be requested to become a member before attending the training course). Membership costs 15 EUR per natural year.

More information and activity programme: http://bit.ly/1DogpnK

How to apply:

Write an email to asociacionbiodiversa@gmail.com with the subject line “NAME SURNAME Application for Embodied leadership TC” and stating, in less than 100 words per question:

– What is your experience with taking the leadership position in life and work?

– What are your motivations and reasons for applying for this course?

– What are your expectations towards the content and methodology of the course? You’re welcome to include here also suggestions for improving the proposed program.

– What is your experience in embodied learning, somatics and bodywork?

– How do you envision sharing your experience after this course with your community back home?

– What would you like to share (in terms or your talents, skills and knowledge) with the group during the course?

– What is your own definition of leadership?

DEADLINE: 31st March at 12AM CET (Spanish time).