Youth Empower Green: learning, creating and connecting in Georgia
What started with conversations about sustainability ended with a collection of educational games, practical tools and fresh ideas ready to be put to use in youth work across Europe and beyond.
From 7 to 16 October, 32 youth workers from ten different countries came together in Ureki, Georgia, for Youth Empower Green. Together with our Georgian partner, Georgian Youth Development Association (GYDA), Bildung Nijmegen organised an Erasmus+ training course exploring how to make sustainability more engaging, accessible and meaningful for young people.
Over ten days, we shared experiences, experimented with new approaches and learned a great deal from one another. And thanks to a wonderful group of participants, there was never a dull moment.
Exploring sustainability through games and creativity
How do you get young people thinking about climate change, waste reduction or the circular economy without turning it into another classroom lesson?
That question was at the heart of our training, where gamification played a central role. By using games, challenges and interactive activities, we explored how complex environmental topics can become something young people can experience, discuss and learn from.
We started by looking at everyday choices. What happens to the products we buy once we’re finished with them? How can we move away from a throwaway culture? And what does the European Green Deal mean in practice?
Through hands-on exercises, including the Green Choices Challenge, participants explored these questions and discovered different ways of bringing sustainability into their work with young people.
But we didn’t want to stop at exchanging ideas. Working in international teams, participants designed and developed their own educational games, interactive exercises and practical tools.
There was plenty of brainstorming, drawing, crafting and testing along the way. Some ideas worked straight away, while others needed a little more thought and a few adjustments.
The result was a collection of creative learning materials covering topics such as responsible consumption, waste reduction and sustainable behaviour. Most importantly, these weren’t just exercises for the training itself. The youth workers can take the games and tools back to their organisations, adapt them to their local contexts and use them in activities with young people.
We also explored nature-based learning and exchanged educational methods from our different countries, adding even more ideas to everyone’s youth work toolkit.
Taking our ideas to the streets of Batumi
On 14 October, we headed to Batumi to organise a public event as part of Erasmus Days.
In the days leading up to the event, participants had been busy preparing the Erasmus+ Opportunity Corners, an open-air activity in 6 May Park designed to introduce visitors to the opportunities available through European youth programmes.
From quizzes and interactive games to information materials and conversations with visitors, the participants took responsibility for developing and facilitating the different activities.
It was a chance to step outside the training room and put their skills into practice. They could share their own experiences while introducing others to Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges, training opportunities for youth workers, the European Solidarity Corps and DiscoverEU.
Seeing the preparations come together in Batumi was a rewarding part of the week, especially because the participants had taken such an active role in making it happen.
Ten countries, many stories to share
Of course, Youth Empower Green was about much more than the workshops.
With youth workers from the Netherlands, Georgia, Spain, Romania, Türkiye, Armenia, Jordan, Czechia, Bulgaria and Moldova, there was always something new to learn about each other’s countries, cultures and approaches to youth work.
Our intercultural evenings brought plenty of music, dancing, food, games and laughter. And some of the nicest moments happened in between the scheduled activities: conversations over dinner, spontaneous jokes, helping each other with an assignment or simply spending time together.
What stood out to us was how naturally everyone worked together. People shared their knowledge, supported each other’s ideas and weren’t afraid to try something new. The atmosphere was open, relaxed and full of enthusiasm.
As organisers, we can put together a programme and make sure everything is in place, but it’s the participants who bring it to life. We couldn’t have asked for a better group.
Taking more than memories home
During our final day, we reflected on everything we had learned and discussed how to continue using the methods, games and tools developed throughout the training.
This was an important part of Youth Empower Green. We wanted participants to leave with more than inspiration. By creating practical learning materials together, they now have resources they can introduce into their own youth work activities, build upon and share with colleagues.
For Bildung Nijmegen, that’s what makes international projects like this so valuable. People arrive with different experiences and ways of working, spend time learning from one another and leave with something they have created together.
We look back on our days in Ureki with a big smile. A heartfelt thank you to all the participants for their enthusiasm, creativity and everything they brought to the training. We’re equally grateful to our partner organisations and the local GYDA team for their dedication, hospitality and support throughout the project.
And while our time together in Georgia has come to an end, the work doesn’t stop here. The games, tools and ideas developed during Youth Empower Green are now making their way to ten different countries, where they can continue to grow and reach more young people.
That’s a lovely result to take home.
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