Crossing Borders Climate Ambassadors Course 8-17 August 2009

This project is a ten day training course in green growth as an overall theme with housing, transportation, energy and food production as specific themes toward mitigating the threats of negative climate change and globalwarming. The action is planed to take place as part of the Com2gether project in connection with COP 15 Climate Summit in Denmark 2009.

The objectives of the project are to capacitate and inspire Euromed youth leaders to become informal climate ambassadors in their communities. The duration of the action is ten days. The number of participants is planned to be 30 environemtally interested youth leaders/activists plus 6 group leaders and 2 support staff from Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Jordan and Palestine with keen interests in becoming climate ambassadors in their countries and regions.

The planned activities will include intercultural exchange of best enviromental practices, keynote lectures, workshops, plenary sessions, study visits, networking and group projects focusing on the envrionement as a common ground for dialogue and cooperation.

The method will comprise living, learning and cooperating together in the folkehøjskole environment. Thanks to the COP 15, the participants will have a? maximum exposure.


Description

The Euromed Youth Climate Ambassadors training is motivated by the current focus on and search for effective response to the challenges posed by negative climate change. Hence the project is planned to be implemented as a contribution to the upcoming climate summit COP 15 in Denmark later this year. The project has its origin from the realisation that the youth need to be included, given the space and necessary skills to be active contributors in the efforts to respond sustainably to the environmental challenges facing humanity.

The objectives of the project are to build the capacity of Euromed youth to become climate ambassadors as a contribution to the efforts to deal with the mounting problems of climate. Moreover, the project aims at promoting intercultural dialogue around the common environment as common ground for sharing of best practices; networking and cooperation toward the empowerment of Euromed youth to take active and positive part in the preservation and protection of the environment as the basis of every sustainable development and human life on planet earth.

The project meets the objectives and priorities of the Youth in Action Programme as it promotes young people’s active citizenship, develops solidarity and tolerance toward mutual understanding between young people in different countries. The projects also provide a forum for joint activities and the development of capabilities of civil society organisations, particularly youth and cooperation in the youth field.

Toward the objectives of training Euromed Youth Climate Ambassadors, the course will focus on the following core themes:

• basic information, practical knowledge and training in the needs, concept and application of green growth in the 21 century and innovation as the solution for the climate change challenges

• Sustainable cities and housing

• Tackling the transport problem

• Food security and climate changes

• Clean and renewable energy

Main project theme 

• As enviromental issues and climate change have to do with the present and future survival and welbeing of humanity, the themes of the project reflects the interests of youth more than any other segment of society. Youth should not only be seen as the leaders of tomorrow’s society, but the leaders of today’s cociety.

• As a matter of democracy, youth needs to be inluded in issues that affect their present and future life. In many societies, such as those of the Middle East, the youth constitue the vast majority and agent of positive change in society.

• For the effective management of climate changes, everyone needs to be involved and everyone should and can do something from their positions to make life richer and more sustainable.

The working methods

• Living, learning and working together under the same roof in a Danish folkehøjskole which is commit to reducing CO2 to zero. As part of this, the participants will be served 100% ecological food and drinks during their stay.

• Group dynamics, getting to know each other and building commong ground

• Presentations by each partner organisations of their organisations, experiences, expectations, visions and plans how to use the experiences of the course back home

• Sharing of best pratices, exchange of ideas and mutual learning

• Keynote lectures by subject experts representing official, civil society and corporation views and other stakeholders in the issue of negative climate change and innovation

• Workshops and groups projects by the participants with experienced facilitators who will guide and assist the participants to reach their goals

• Visit to, exposure at and networking with Danish civil society and public organisations and institutions dealing with the environment and climate change

• Giving the space and skills for the youth to develop their vision and employ their energies to affect positive change in society and help mitigate the looming enviromental crises and negative climate changes facing humanity today.

Developing tolerance and understanding of and respect for diversity 

• increases participants' positive awareness of other cultures through direct and positive experience of living, learning and working with fellow youth from other cultures.

• the project supports dialogue and intercultural encounters with other participants from different backgrounds and cultures from the fact that participants come from six different countries with different backgrounds and sometimes from conflicting histories. The participants come from Denmark and Finland in norther Europe, the Hungarians come from Central Europe while the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian come from the conflict zone of the Middle East. This makes the project a perfect forum for dialogue, exchange and mutual learning between cultures, religions, majorities and minorities.

• the project helps prevent and combat prejudice, racism and all attitudes leading to exclusion by including youth from the majority and minority groups, Christian, Muslim, Jewish groups, Arabs and Europeans, men and women.

• the project develops sense of tolerance and understanding of diversity through learning to live and work together with fellow youth from other cultures and countries. The intercultural exchange and networking dimensions of the project is expected to increase the social competences and interpersonal skills of the participants towards the appreciation of cultural diversity as a value in its own right.