SOLACE 2024: Building Youth Resilience Against Eco-Anxiety
From 2 to 11 September 2024, the SOLACE youth exchange took place at the EcoVillage Grain and Sens in Boffres, France.
SOLACE, which stands for "Strengthening Our Lives Amidst Climate-related Ecological Challenges," aimed to foster eco-resilience within the group by addressing eco-anxiety. The program was inspired by Joanna Macy’s transformative framework, "The Work That Reconnects," which seeks to turn ecological grief into collective strength and proactive environmental engagement. Through this shared journey, participants worked together to build resilience in the face of challenges related to the modern world.
During the week a group of 20 participants from France, Slovakia, Netherlands and Germany followed a program filled with mindfulness and meditation workshops, sharing circles, nature walks, (self-)reflection, gardening and network and community building. Open space sessions provided opportunities for participants to exchange resources and skills, further enriching the collaborative learning experience and fostering deeper connections within the group.
Social Community Theater - training course in Rabka-Zdrój (Poland)
The theatre play is based on the shared experiences of the participants. Through games and storytelling, participants can build a community in which no one is judged and everyone actively participates. This playful approach makes it possible to internalise important social concepts such as gender equality, inclusion, tolerance, empathy and respect for rules. On the first day of the course, we laid down the rules for our get-together. The methodology of the course included various games from theatre pedagogy in which everyone could participate. The participants themselves were also able to offer workshops and share their knowledge with the course. The international evening was also special, where everyone was able to present delicacies from their home country. One aim of the course was to support the participants in developing small artistic projects themselves. These initiatives were intended to give participants the opportunity to put what they had learnt into practice and drive social change in their own environment.
EcoDocu 2023 - training course in Barcelona (Spain)
International Youth Exchange "Grow" in Armavir (Armenia)
From 2nd-11th August 2021 we started our adventure in Armenia. 30 participants from Germany, Armenia, Georgia, Czech Republic and Estonia came together in the small town of Armavir to deal intensively with the topic of sustainability. Which environmental problems do their home countries have to deal with? What are their strategies for more sustainability? How can life be made more ecological in our private surroundings?
Besides invited guest trainers, the participants also got to lead workshops themselves on their topics of expertise. One highlight was the visit of the mayor of Armavir to ask him about the local environmental situation. Another highlight was planting trees in the town’s park. And the intercultural aspect wasn’t missing either. Each country team got to plan the evening programme for one night, including national foods, dances, music and games. There also were excursions to a local pottery and the scenig Geghard monastery as well as a visit to the buzzing capital Yerevan.
International Youth Exchange "The Project's Journey" in Leba (Poland)
This project was carried out from 21.08.-02.09.2020 right at the Baltic Sea – with 12 participants each from Germany, Poland, and Italy. The 36 participants aged 16 to 26 wanted to deppen their knowledge and skills on how to carry out international projects themselbes.
The content of the exchange was therefore split in two parts. One part was all about learning the method of Design Thinking by going experiencing all the steps in several days. The other part was about teaming up in expert groups on photography, film, social media and public speaking. The expert groups created and carried out workshops with the entire exchange group, to share their knowledge and skills. Besides the intensive group work there was also enough freetime at the beach and intercultural evenings, as well as the opportunity to explore Gdansk and Warsaw during our arrival and departure travels.
You can watch
this amazing mini documentary on the project: https://fb.watch/drqbioaq45/
International Youth Exchange "The Power of Sports" in Spielberg/Karlsbad (Germany)
From 26.08.-03.09.2019, our first self-organised international youth exchange on the topic of "The Power of Sports" took place in Spielberg on the property of the Kreisjugendwerk AWO Karlsruhe-Stadt. A total of 25 young people aged 18-30 from Germany, Spain, Morocco, Armenia and Turkey came together.
The young adults were able to get to know and practise many sport activities such as climbing, hiking, Zumba, rope skipping, kickboxing or riding a unicycle. In addition, we discussed social, cultural and personal benefits of an active lifestyle in workshops. The intercultural exchange between participants as well as with the local population was also a central focus.
The youth exchange was a very nice, horizon-expanding experience for everyone, thanks to the financial support from the EU through the Erasmus+ programme.
Internantional Youth Exchange "Social Theater for Europe" in Purchena (Spain)
Get an insight of the project through this slide show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGNJKpJNKKU