19th EUROPEAN WEEK of REGIONS and CITIES

Youth Employment Magazine N. 14

SEPTEMBER 2021

Youth Employment Magazine

Contents 03

Director’s Editorial

Youth and Climate Change: A Time to move from Assertion to Assertiveness

Youth for our cities. Youth for our environment/climate change

We don’t all need to be environmental engineers

Youth’s response to Climate Change – What about Greece?

Volunteer for our world

Youth, the victims and the fighters of the inaction climate crisis.

European Prospects for NEETs through the eyes of the IPS4NEETs Team

Youth for our cities – Youth for our environment/climate change - FOLM Project

Youth for our cities - Youth for our environment/climate change - RAISE Youth

Initiatives to tackle climate change. How Extremadura aims to fight against global warming while empowering youth and developing their own economy

Back to school!

Inner City Blues

NEETS for climate consciousness

News from the Projects

A fruitful spring in Warsaw!

Do young people want to work and are they able to find a good job?

Youth Employment PartnerSHIP creates a network of young researchers

Policy Brief on the use of administrative data for evaluation

Young talents of Summer Creative Academy has successfully completed their final exams

CODE Project Follow-up

Students of Summer Creative Academy elaborated marvelous works of art

CODE Project will cooperate with STEM centers in Ruse city

Great news from Save the Children Iasi

My personal story

Youth Employment Magazine 43

Seminar and press conference in Riga, Latvia

Project activities with NEETs

The future of work for NEETs in a circular economy

Impact assessment of Youth projects – practical examples of selected Slovak organizations

Youth With Disabilities & Labour Market

Vocational education and training in Poland

Preliminary results of the blended learning course Towards Better Youth Employment Projects

Expert Study about the impact of the Corona pandemic on education and training in Germany from diﬀerent perspectives.

Let’s talk about employment

SEPAL Success Story

RAISE Youth in Croatia: Exchange of experience in culture, tourism and agriculture

Empowering YOUth through Entrepreneurship! “NEETs in Entrepreneurship” project wraps up with final conference

COVID-19 Regional Labour

Beyond the hands-on experience: International internship as cultural communion

Regional particularities in Potenza: From legal formalism to harsh reality

YOUTHSharing Experiences

Contributors & Credits

Youth Employment Magazine

Director’s Editorial Dear Friends,

Autumn has come and, with it, the September issue. An issue which is like, as I already pre-announced, a new season. New seasons are usually brining changes, positive and/or negative. I challenge anyone who has never thought, at the beginning of a new period, about goals such as "I'll do this, I'll do that"… am I wrong?

I am using these words since I know that some parts of our Family are taking new directions… we already passed from 26 Projects to 25 and we just said goodbye to another one which is ended. It is, in eﬀect, a particular period. Diﬀerent Projects will come to the end of their contracts and some of them will soon organise their closing events. Some days ago, our “NEETs in entrepreneurship” did their closing ceremony, a pity!

Sorry if I seem too much melodramatic, but this was for me the first final conference. I was used to – and I preferred – welcome conferences or opening activities. I prefer starting than ending. And, as already indicated 8 new projects are soon coming!

It is for this reason that, instead of thinking “they will do this, they will do that…”, I prefer to think about what they did, in terms of eﬀorts and goals achieved during their implementation period, which matches their period within what I like to call Family.

And I prefer the Italian language, which is separating a “real” goodbye (meaning “forever”) than a “ok, goodbye, but this doesn’t mean we won’t meet again”!

And… you know that some Projects will be, someway, promoted. I believe that our Family has some excellent Projects which deserve additional attention!!!

And even if this won’t be the case for everybody, I am still convinced that being part of our Family was worth it. Or better, being part of our process aimed at finding solutions to common challenges, this was worth it.

Hearing, during a final conference, messages like:

• Preventing measures: easier to prevent them becoming NEETs

• Partnering, increasing motivations

• Inspiring eﬀects

• Moving the opportunities near to them

• Leaving no-one behind

• clearly fills me with joy and it is telling me that we are in the good direction!

I am not writing, and telling you, those words just because I know that – for some of you – the implementation period under EEA & Norway Grants is ending. But especially because I can understand how much can be difficult to find the right way if one thinks about making some hypothesis – in terms of goals achievements – concrete. Inspiring effects and good practices is, in itself, not to be taken for granted. Especially in times of a pandemic which has afflicted our countries worldwide. And, to be honest, I do believe that changing status – or helping someone doing it – is not easy. Preventing measures are fundamental in this sense, such as partnering initiatives as the most of you tried to do. But … once one becomes a NEET, it is hard to find the right ways to change his/her status. Once a person is “not in employment, education or training”, the difficult part is to change this categorisation. To demonstrate that there are ways, or attempts, to find different – but valuable – roles into a specific society.

Youth Employment Magazine What I can tell you is that our Family found the way to put together some concrete examples and achieved some great results, at least in the sense of putting eﬀorts together. That is why I am happy to tell you that we are organising for you all something that will give you the possibility to better define the results achieved during the past years. As I already told you, an important “save the date” is coming and I hope you will be ready to demonstrate what you have been doing thanks to your activities to reach common solutions, yesterday meeting (29.09) with all the Comm Oﬃcers was very much important to lay the foundation of our 6th to 10th December 2021 annual event (unfortunately again on a virtual modality) but with a renovate energy.

New common challenges are everyday arising into our societies, their public systems and administrations. Cities are the final “compartment” where our practices go. Each milestone planted by each of us is visible as a final result in the deepest concept of what a city is. Because a city is given by, in the end, the whole of what its citizens are and do.

In our case, we are not single citizens but groups of citizens, which are forming Projects. I believe we can find the right direction to make visible what you (and we) have been doing to ameliorate our societies when comes to finding solutions for a better employment structure. Our colleagues of the Regional Cooperation Fund are already all actively working for the European Week of Regions and Cities that will soon be celebrated on 11 October!

And… talking about cities, please enjoy the interesting reflection of our Friend Tom, to find further hints for your future activities.

As said, stay tuned since new details will arrive soon. In the meanwhile, enjoy our Mag.

Gian Luca Bombarda

The FO Director

Youth Employment Magazine

Youth and Climate Change: A Time to move from Assertion to Assertiveness “Men argue. Nature acts.” Voltaire Cities are on the front lines of the growing physical risks associated with climate change. They are home to more than half of the world’s people; that’s about 4 billion people living on top of one another, working, commuting, polluting, and devising strategies for survival. By 2050, that figure is projected to rise to 68 percent and, by the end of the century, about 85% of the world’s population will be urban, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

causes, eﬀects, search for and distribution of vaccines, maintaining lives and livelihoods. In terms of climate change the ‘Covid distraction’ has led to an apparent loss of public and political attention. Yet, acting on climate change remains as urgent as ever. It is still our biggest existential threat. If it were not for the virus, the devastating wildfires witnessed over the past year in the Amazon, Australia, Indonesia and the US, would arguably have made global warming a more central topic.

Now it is time, once again, to bring Climate Change back to the top of the political agenda, to remind the politicians and gatekeepers of international organisations about their promises and assertions: to remind the UN of the excerpt from the, now six years old, 2030 Agenda – ‘Young women and men are critical agents of change and will find in the new (Sustainable Development) Goals a platform to channel their infinite capacities for activism into the creation of a better world.’

Cities are major contributors to climate change. According to UN Habitat, cities consume 78 per cent of the world's energy and produce more than 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. The sheer density of people relying on fossil fuels makes urban populations highly vulnerable to the eﬀects of climate change.

These are the stark statistics that caused Greta Thunberg to plead: “I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire.”

This article is being written on Friday 24th. September as young people around the world are taking to the streets again to demand urgent action to avert disastrous climate change. The ‘Fridays For Future’ movement began after then 15-year-old Greta Thunberg first skipped school and instead sat outside the Swedish parliament to demand climate action. The movement reached a peak in September 2019, when 7 million people worldwide joined in, including 30,000 young people in Ireland – making it one of the largest global protests in history. The restrictions on assembly and movement, imposed by the Pandemic, resulted in a harnessing of that seismic energy.

To also remind the EU of its Youth Goals, and the recognition accorded in particular to ‘the importance of the youth dimensions in the 2030 Agenda and the key role that young people can play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and invites the Member States to consider the needs and expectations of young people in their contribution to implementing the 2030 Agenda for all relevant policy sectors and to enable young Europeans to contribute as appropriate to achieving an ever more sustainable Union.’

For the past 18 months the world has been convulsed by the Coronavirus Pandemic: its

Youth Employment Magazine The mundane language of such institutional pronouncements shouldn’t conceal the opportunities for youth to be catalysts for change. As the impact of environmental hazards intensifies over time, it is the children and young people of today who will face the worst eﬀects.

Whether through advocacy, education, technology, science or law ─ youth are tapping into their skills to speak up for climate action. It is now time for genuine youth participation in dialogues and decision-making on policies that will aﬀect their lives and livelihoods. It is a time for ‘transformative leadership’ as espoused by Mary Robinson. A deeper participatory democracy requires the necessary architecture, structures and mechanisms that ensures youth is not just a consultative voice. It is time to move from assertion to assertiveness. Where will the youth voice be in COP26 in Glasgow at the end of this year? 2022 has been designated the ‘Year of Youth.’ Is it too much to ask that its legacy might add further resonance to the words of Jacques Delors?

“How can we ever build Europe if young people do not see it as a collective project and a vision of their own future?”

Thomas Mc Grath

Our Irish Journalist

Youth Employment Magazine

Youth for our cities   Youth for our environment/climate change We don’t all need to be environmental engineers Environmental education and training are not only needed to build a new generation of educated consumers, engaged citizens, better policy- and decision-makers. They represent powerful tools to boost youth’s chances to get a job or becoming self-employed too. According to Eurostat latest data, Employment in the Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS), also known as the "eco-industry," was estimated to account for 4.3 million full-time jobs in 2018 with Germany (626,624 jobs), France (562,769 jobs), and Italy (427,531 jobs) being the three leading countries in the EU-27 by absolute numbers. (1)

So, what is the first profession that comes to mind when you hear "green career"? Environmental engineer is arguably one of the first answers to pop up in your head.

  Ice is melting, the ocean is rising and swallowing villages, eating away shores, sweeping farms and crops, people are migrating to escape hunger and thirst. When it comes to tackling climate change, however, it is not about polar bears. It is about education and training, which are often the most eﬀective means of achieving long-term sustainability. Economic and technological remedies, as well as laws and monetary incentives, are insuﬃcient. A fundamental shift in how we think and act is needed. We recognize that this is a challenging task as it requires changes to curricula and learning objectives, attitudes and political systems.

The truth is that we do not all need to be environmental engineers as there are plenty of other opportunities for youth pursuing green careers out there. Among others, destinations program oﬃcers find ways to reduce the impact of tourism in holiday spots; urban growers practice urban farming in heavily populated cities and towns; recycling operatives collect recycling materials so that they can be sorted and managed. Additionally, while environmental awareness skills are a must-have in eco-industry positions, they represent nice-to-haves in almost any occupation as the ability to manage resources sustainably will be increasingly requested in the future. (2)

Youth Employment Magazine Evidence from past research has shown that, in general, there is disagreement about the scope and content of environmental education and training and several misconceptions promote the lack of a consistent identity. Many organizations do not have the resources to develop a comprehensive, usable curriculum with specific environmental objectives. Finally, educators and trainers may possess little knowledge on the topic or even lack the right attitude or commitment to provide adequate instruction. In a recent study conducted by UNESCO, one-third of 1,600 educators surveyed reported that their training did not include environmental literacy. (3)

Against this background and the context of our projects, our eﬀorts should aim at reallocating available resources towards environmental education and making of it a regular component of our training programs, as well as providing adequate preparation for trainers. We cannot ignore climate change as professionals who respect evidence-based practice and want to create opportunities for young people. As take carers of the environment, it is our responsibility to support youths in shaping the future they want.

(1) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_ac_egss1/default/bar?lang=en (online data code: ENV_AC_EGSS1)

(2) https://skillspanorama.cedefop.europa.eu/sites/default/files/EUSP_AH_Environmental_0.pdf

(3) https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377362

Project YES! Young Entrepreneurs Succeed

Youth Employment Magazine

Youth’s response to Climate Change – What about Greece? about the situation. Through day-to-day small activities, ambassadors become part of the solution", he points out in his interview.

The institution of ambassadors of the European Climate Pact enables young people to work together so as to meet European challenges. It is a movement sharing a common goal: a more sustainable Europe. Organizations, as well as individuals, may make a strong common EU commitment, one for climate action. Such commitments might be small, sustainable choices or large, bolder initiatives. These are practical changes that are important in everyday life, starting with the way we produce and consume, to how we move, heat or cool our homes, but also how we work and live together.

Regarding environmental concerns and the climate change, young people are at the forefront for the environment:

In Greece, almost 1,000 individuals and organizations have applied to become Ambassadors and are already working at local, regional and national level.

Climber Vanessa Archontidou has conquered six of the seven highest mountain peaks on the planet. By the end of 2021, she plans to step on the seventh, the top of Mount Vinson in Antarctica. Her main goal is to raise the awareness of as many citizens as possible, about climate change.

“Climbing to all these peaks I saw glaciers shrink at an incredibly fast pace”, describes the European Climate Change Pact Ambassador. In the same capacity, Anastasis Stamatis, 31 years old, has undertaken to inform about the problems created by human callousness and thoughtlessness to the environment: “An ambassador tries in every way to inform the people

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to be holding back the 17 goals set by the UN on climate change. However, the European Commission seems to be heading straight towards the implementation of the Green Agreement. According to the national coordinator for the European Climate Pact, Konstantinos Macheras “the first discussion that was carried out in Greece, involved Greek participants and dealt with the situation in Greece. It is inferred by many that climate change has to do only with the planet. The real problem, however, has to do with whether humanity, as we have known it, will survive under these conditions. Thus, the concern is how to save the humankind after all. It's not too late to do something although we all must take action immediately” adds K. Macheras.

In Greece, almost 1,000 individuals and organisations have applied to become Ambassadors and are already working locally, regionally and nationally to encourage people to get involved, live up to their commitments and take further action towards climate change interventions. Social media is the ideal means of getting our eﬀorts through.

Youth Employment Magazine

“Six months following the Climate Pact, it is really encouraging to see how many ambassadors have already joined and connected with each other, and how much optimism, how much vision individual commitments have to oﬀer. They provide great inspiration for the small and big changes that each of us can make. Together, we can have a huge impact and therefore I call on all citizens and organisations to follow us” said the Executive VicePresident of the European Commission, for the Europe Green Agreement Frans Timmermans, in the framework of the Day of Action held on 29 June 2021.

The Climate Pact is part of the Europe Green Agreement and helps the EU achieve its goal of being the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Green Agreement aims to make the EU economy sustainable by transforming climate and environmental challenges to opportunities and making the transition fair and inclusive.

Source OT.gr Newsroom 03.07.2021 | 08:12

https://www.ot.gr/2021/07/03/green/klimatiki-allagi/klimatiki-allagi-oi-neoivgainoun-mprosta-gia-to-perivallon/

Project SEPAL

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Youth Employment Magazine

Volunteer for our world

Our planet is our home. A world unlike any other and the place that sustains us. But are we living in harmony with the nature? Humanity is in an interdependent relationship with the nature, and if we all help a little bit, we can keep the Earth safe for the next generation and just like a cycle, in turn, they have to fight and make it safe for the generation after as well.

The past decades have revealed significant triumphs of environmental protection, but also notable failures, which have led to the continuous deterioration of the Earth’s natural systems.

The climate changes, but what does this mean?

Climate change is bad, posing a massive threat to the future of life on Earth.

All our oceans suﬀer from pollution, forests are shrinking, deserts expanding, coral reefs bleaching. Almost half of the terrestrial surface of

the Earth has been transformed by urbanization and the most astounding part is that human beings are completely unaware of this situation. Literally, we are running out of time.

The scale of the challenges threatening our planet can seem daunting, especially now that the climate changes have raised high levels of uncertainty about our future, but we can all do something.

The world is home to 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 to 24, meaning that youths constitute the majority of the population in many countries and have an increasingly strong social and environmental awareness, as stakeholders in the sustainability debate. They have the potential to make a diﬀerence, whether through small actions, or longer initiatives.

Engaging youths in the environmental protection, not only has a direct impact on changing their behaviors and attitudes, but also influences the future of the society. Because youths have a stronger awareness of the current issues and a greater stake in long-term sustainability, the environment is one of the areas in which they ought to take the lead. They bring unique perspectives that need to be taken into account, so we need more youth organizations to empower them to take a stand and enhance eﬀective participation in climate change.

Currently, the participation of youth appears to be formalized more extensively in international governmental organizations, than at the national level.

Youth participation through governmental and non-governmental organizations is important, but there is place for other kinds of youth actions and activism as well. Environmentalism has many roots—in scientific concern for the well-being of resources and ecosystems, in philosophical reflections about nature, in concerns about public health, and in initiatives oriented towards providing outdoor recreational opportunities. (1)

Certainly, there are possibilities for youth participation in practical environmental projects, which are not only political. They have to be part of the solution, not of the pollution.

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Youth Employment Magazine Environmental education plays an important role in combating climate changes and turning cities and human settlements into safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable havens. A look at the existing state of environmental education indicates that in most countries, it has grown steadily in recent years, but not enough. Regarding this aspect, Romania, as a member of the United Nations and the European Union, has adopted the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This strategy is citizen-centered and focuses on innovation, optimism, resilience, and the belief that the role of the state is to serve the needs of each citizen in a fair, eﬃcient, and balanced manner, all within a clean environment.

In other words, improving education, human and institutional capacities on climate change, impact reduction and early warning resilience to climate and natural disaster risks in all countries, represent the main objectives.

Learning by doing is very important and through participation in environmental projects such as planting a tree, conserving water, shopping wisely, using long-lasting light bulbs, volunteering for cleanups in the community and last, but not least, reducing, reusing, recycling, can play an important role for the environment.

Therefore, we should all make greater and more concerted eﬀorts to promote a larger process of social learning for sustainable development.

(1) www.un.org

Project SEPAL

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Youth Employment Magazine

Youth, the victims and the fighters of the inaction climate crisis. The world is now home to the largest generation of youth in history- 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 to 24 (1). These young people will suﬀer the consequences and will bear the costs of inaction on the climate crisis. Now, already, most countries where youths are a majority of the population, are economically dependent upon agriculture - a sector extremely exposed to climate change.

Council of Europe, United Nations and other international governmental and non-governmental organizations are in the central of the youth climate changes movements.

In September 2019, as Council of Europe states , more than 46 million young people and children from over 150 countries around the world went on a climate strike, considered the largest demonstration in history.

Young people are determined not to simply be victims of climate change. Children and youths have discovered their massive power to hold decision-makers accountable.

A short article written by the Spanish partners from the SEPAL Project

(1) https://www.coe.int/en/web/world-forum-democracy/12-months-1-question-june-2021

Project SEPAL

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Youth Employment Magazine

European Prospects for NEETs through the eyes of the IPS4NEETs Team General data indicates that particularly in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) the percentage of young unemployed NEETs is relatively high compared to others. For example, in Hungary, the percentage of young people that are neither in employment nor in education and training (19-29 years) is 18,3%, 14,8% in Romania, 12,2 % in Slovenia and only 8,7 % in Norway.

Lowering youth unemployment and aiming to eﬀectively engage as many young people as possible in training or work, is at the heart of the EU policy agenda. However, the latter economic crisis that was caused by the COVID-19, exacerbated the situation of NEETs in Europe. NEETs are without a doubt hit the hardest. Aﬀected by the pandemic, young Europeans’ cope with concerning levels of mental well-being and levels of loneliness. The latter suggests that NEETs are without a doubt in need of support for dealing with problems that arise and in need of comprehensive treatment.

UK, Italy, Bulgaria, Germany, Switzerland, etc.). Some European countries that implemented IPS methodology, have shown great results in a short period. For example, in Slovenia, after counsellors received training in IPS methodology, they quickly started getting encouraging results in reducing unemployment among their clients. However, for a successful implementation process, communication among services is the key practice to increase access to multidisciplinary resources, such as IPS. Therefore, we are striving to implement IPS method into governmental publicly recognized programs that helps young people.

Project Individual Placement and Support for NEETs through Education Youth Technology Platform (EYTP)

Upgrading models, education, and professional skills are critical for improving the economy and labour market shortages and to tackle recent brain drain and negative demographic changes of underdeveloped/ disadvantaged rural areas, as well as narrowing the employment gap facing the young people in rural areas, especially vulnerable, excluded, and marginalized young people and those with lower education level. We believe that the innovation, such as new methodologies to tackle unemployment, will encourage local initiatives, based on strong cooperation between the relevant social partners (public sector, NGOs, entrepreneurs, local leaders). The coordinated approach will lead to higher eﬀectiveness of adopted actions.

Our implemented method IPS (Individual Placement and Support) IPS is a well-established method in several other European countries (Netherland, !14

Youth Employment Magazine

Youth for our cities – Youth for our environment/climate change Globally, young people are on the move, often migrating from rural settings to urban locations, seeking education (secondary & higher), employment and better opportunities. For urban context, large number of youth is an opportunity. Looking at the demographics in urban settings, particularly in developing contexts, urban populations are more youthful than rural and hopefully becoming increasingly so.

opportunities that the necessary transition to low carbon growth entails, and many are joining the global dialogue on solutions, getting involved and taking action. As young people work across the globe to determine their future by acting on climate change, their actions inspire us all.

change. Young people’s participation in the life and decisions of a city is a right and an important benchmark of social inclusion.

The example of great driving force of Greta Thunberg, very young Swedish environmental activist, known for challenging world leaders to take immediate actions for climate change mitigation. Although later on she became a target for critics (i.e. absurd allegations that she should not use plane as a means of transport), she has been extremly successful in highlighting the problem, raising awareness, and inspiring thousands of young people to act.

Young people are active, motivated, full of hope & optimism, have a driving force: they are willing to engage in their communities, make important contributions through the activities they run.

We need to accelerate our actions towards saving the environment, because the future is uncertain, and what is certain is that we must leave behind a world suitable for living for the next generations.

Close to half a million youth around the world have taken action on climate change through SGP*. They are also key actors in raising awareness, running educational programs, promoting sustainable lifestyles, conserving nature, supporting renewable energy or adopting environmentally-friendy practices. What is more: youth constitute the majority of the population in many countries and have an increasingly strong social and environmental awareness, which has the power to transform our societies towards a lowcarbon and climate resilient future.**

*[small grants programmes] projects in their homes, schools and communities. [UNDP, Fast Facts: Youth and Climate Change, 2015, http:// goo.gl/Luyn3P]

These youthfulness results with visible and necessary engagement of young citizens in good governance, which in turn is essential for economic growth, and other important public topics, such as environment/climat

** [United Nations Joint Framework Initiative on Children, Youth and Climate Change, 2010, http://bit.ly/1FBQsfy]

Project FOLM

With no doubt, this is education that is the most powerful path to sustainability. Economic and technological solutions, political regulations or financial incentives are not enough. We need a fundamental change in the way we think and act. We know this is a diﬃcult task. This means revision of learning objectives, big need for teaching and learning about climate change, about disaster risk reduction. Here again – all hope is the young. Young people are increasingly aware of the challenges and !15

Youth Employment Magazine

Youth for our cities - Youth for our environment/climate change

Thanks to the RAISE Youth project, the co-financing of the EEA and Norway Grants and the implementation by the Municipality of Casarrubuelos, the First Vermiculture DEMO Center in Europe has been established in Casarrubuelos (Madrid – Spain): a collaborative green center of circular economy with a surface of 2450m2, to promote experimentation and dissemination of innovative agro-environmental activities.

Support for young entrepreneurs From RAISE Youth Casarrubuelos, young entrepreneurs are supported through free training and mentoring on business issues. Our training courses for Youths are focus on green subjects and take place at the RAISE DEMO Center of Casarrubuelos, benchmark in the area in terms of organic waste recycling through composting and vermicomposting.

Having as main objective not only to give support and qualified training to young people to help them become entrepreneurs or improve their employability in general, but also to do it from an environmentally friendly approach, seeking to contribute to get a new kind of entrepreneurs more respectful with our environment and natural resources.

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Youth Employment Magazine Looking for a better environment There is no Planet B, so citizens, entrepreneurs and companies should be more aware of our environment issues, being consistent in the way we act: we can all help to curb the environmental problems of our planet. The RAISE DEMO Center of Casarrubuelos is a collaborative space in 'green subjects' for idea generation and networking, where young people can increase both their training and abilities in sustainable and environmental subjects such as: composting, vermicomposting, gardening, urban gardens, etc. and their network of contacts. In addition, the ideas contributed by the members of the community are collected, promoted and put into practice.

Our trained young people want to become successful entrepreneurs who respect the environment. Some examples of this new and valuable type of entrepreneurs -so necessary for a better environmental future-, trained at RAISE Youth Casarrubuelos are:

‘TERRA GASTRO TABERNA’: TAKING CARE OF THE PLANET FROM THE KITCHEN.

Eating is a pleasure… but it should also be an act of environmental responsibility. Nowadays, a sustainable way of understanding gastronomy and catering is becoming more and more important: restaurants that respect the natural environment, that take care of the origin of their food and the local commerce, recycle and separate waste, save energy and recycle materials, continuously train and value their workers, etc. These conditions define sustainable restaurants, the next gastronomic revolution. Among them it is the “Terra Gastro Taberna” in Casarrubuelos. MORE INFO:

- https://youthemploymentmag.net/2021/03/29/terra-gastro-taberna-is-bornin-casarrubuelos-taking-care-of-the-planet-from-the-kitchen/

- http://raise-youth.com/2021/01/21/terra-gastro-taberna-casarrubuelos/

‘PUNTA DE FLECHA VITICULTURA’: RECOVERING ABANDONED VINEYARDS through strict ecology.

Abandoned vineyards of small villages of Madrid -with an average age of 70 years- are being recovered through strict ecology by ‘Punta De Flecha Viticultura’: a young entrepreneurial and environmental wine and vineyard project. Diﬀerent varieties of natural wine are made without using any chemicals at any stage – an option that more and more winegrowers are opting for. Customers are becoming more and more socially aware and are looking for quality wines that are produced in a way that respects the ecosystem.

MORE INFO:

- http://raise-youth.com/2021/05/24/sustainable-wine-project-punta-deflecha-viticultura/

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Youth Employment Magazine YOUNGSTERS COMMITTED TO FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE BY RECYCLING THE ORGANIC WASTE FROM THEIR MUNICIPALITIES.

Youngsters from the Madrid municipality of Villa del Prado, knowing about the environmental and urban organic waste recycling work carried out at the RAISE DEMO Center in Casarrubuelos, have participated in several of the composting and vermicomposting RAISE Youth trainings in Casarrubuelos with the intention of implementing a similar initiative for the recycling of the organic waste of their municipality using these two environmental techniques. They have also presented their own environmental project to their local governments and established their business project with the support of RAISE Youth Casarrubuelos.

space for the exchange of experiences, resources, knowledge and their own vegetable production to enrich the whole community.

The bartering of products encourages responsible consumption and zero waste, eliminates the distribution chain and the emission of greenhouse gases that would be caused by trade with third party producers. It also makes it possible for the whole community to enjoy a wide variety of top quality organic seasonal vegetables, which are produced without the use of pesticides and within the community. All these factors help us to consume in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way, while at the same time fighting climate change.

At RAISE Youth Casarrubuelos we are proud to carry out green training courses under the precepts of the Circular Economy oriented to the respect of our environment.

YOUNG PEOPLE FROM CASARRUBUELOS CULTIVATE THEIR OWN URBAN GARDENS: BARTERING PRODUCE TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

Young people from Casarrubuelos and their families harvest and exchange their own vegetables in the urban gardens for the young people of the RAISE DEMO Centre in Casarrubuelos. These facilities are a collaborative

Project RAISE Youth

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Youth Employment Magazine

Initiatives to tackle climate change. How Extremadura aims to fight against global warming while empowering youth and developing their own economy It is undeniable that climate is one of the big challenges that humanity has to face. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations (IPCC), it is undeniable that humans are the one causing climate change and the rising of the temperatures and the level of the oceans is now irreversible. Some of the conclusions of the IPCC also were that weather is getting more extreme, with droughts, floods and heavy rain and snow getting more frequent; soon the summer in Artic areas will be free of ice, with the average low of Artic sea level at their lowest in thousands of years; and, maybe the more dreaded conclusion of all, that humanity is running out of time to, at least, minimize and contain the eﬀects of climate change.

In order to tackle this problematic, the government of Spain has issued some laws and initiative to help the country transition towards a greener future, where the main source of power will come from renewable energies instead of fossil fuels and the country will reduce its emissions as much as possible. With Extremadura being one of the regions of Spain with the greatest number of protected natural spaces, as well as being focused mainly on the primary and tertiary sectors for its economic activities, it is one of the main areas of interest for the near future of the country.

living in rural areas and are mainly focused into the research and innovation in the field of agriculture, and are currently being implemented in the region by the Agricultural and Food Technological Centre (CTAEX). From a more institutional point of view and having in mind the big picture and general development of the region, FUNDECYT-PCTEX fosters new and innovative perspectives to fight climate change and help the region transition towards a greener and more environment-focused economy. With initiatives and events such as the Green Disruption Summit, where strategic stakeholders on a national and international level come together to discuss new ways to achieve economic growth while being respectful to the environment, and the High Technology Incubator in Bioeconomy and Circular Economy (IAT), where young people have the opportunity to develop their business ideas while getting specialized in a methodological framework focused on bio and circular economy, FUNDECYT-PCTEX aims to help in the fight against climate change and to enable young people to be the actors of this change while also serving as catalyst for a future revolution in their territories.

Project RAISE Youth

In this regard, there are several initiatives being currently carried out in the region that aim to help Extremadura to develop business activities to tackle the problematic of climate change, help young people acquire new tools and capacities and become involved in the fight against climate change and, in general, to change rural areas into spaces where young people can stay, get training and develop their business activities, thus becoming actors of change in their territories.

Projects such as “eNEET Rural”, also funded by the EEA and Norway Grants, aims to facilitate entrepreneurship and to improve skills of NEETs !19

Youth Employment Magazine

Back to school! Promoting the green transition requires embedding environmentally sustainable development in education. Schools, training institutions and community centres need to help young learners to understand the current climate challenges and empower them to take action. This works best with interdisciplinary and participatory training and learning methods. If schools and teachers have this major role to play, then they need ongoing support with inspiring examples and professional development Mariya Gabriel Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

At the beginning of September, the Romanian media disseminated the results of a recent study done by the University of Bath in the UK and the Stanford Center for Innovation and Global Heath. According to this study approximately 45% out of 10.000 interviewed youngsters, coming from 10 diﬀerent countries, openly declared that the climate crisis is generating them significant anxiety and discomfort when it comes to functioning as adults. Three-thirds of the interviewed participants (aged 16 to 25) said that the ‘future looks threatening, while 64% of the study participants expressed their disappointment towards the national governments not doing suﬃcient in order to avoid a severe climate crisis.

The main conclusion of the study is that the eco-anxiety or the climate anxiety in children and teenagers is not only due to the environmental constant degradation, but mainly due to the feeling that adults and especially politicians, governments and big companies are not acting accordingly.

Every day we are confronted with a series of challenges in the sphere of environmental protection and climate change management. The increasing urbanisation and the alert day to day life rhythm have generated the mass intensification of ‘bad environmental habits’ that produce more and more pollution and environmental contamination. Raising awareness on this social and individual habits and its environmental impacts is essential.

The activists are constantly identifying the causes and raise awareness on the dramatic climate changes that we are living and their causes (so WE KNOW!). The experts come up with proposals and solutions on how to solve and reduce environmental damages (so, IT IS POSSIBLE!). The politicians are constantly updating their discourses and agendas in accordance with this topic (so, IT IS WANTED!). SO what is the BIG OBSTACLE, why isn’t it happening?!

Often, we speak about ‘education & awareness’, implicitly climate and environmental education. A crucial role is associated to the education process in schools and even more with parenting and family life contexts, doubled by the local authorises support. If school and family contexts can create the capacities and skills that young people need in order to have a positive climate & environment impact ... the authorities should be the ones supporting the implementation and multiplying eﬀect of such social skills into the society.

The lesson above is the one that our Romanian RAISE Youth NEETs constantly receive through out the RAISE training activities. Both AGRO and TOURISM Romanian Demo Centres strive for environmental sustainability and support our local NEETs to development professional skills respectful toward the environment.

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Youth Employment Magazine For the last serie of our formation training courses, mainly dedicated to community programs development in the fields of sustainable farming and eco rural tourism, the Romanian project beneficiaries will be receiving theoretical and practical information regarding their day to day habits and the implicit environmental impact, we will be developing skills and competences on how to act in a positive environmental way (such as recycling, upcycling, responsible consumption etc) and to close the learning circle, we will be supporting the development of an assertive and proactive attitude towards the reduction of environmental damage and contamination, while acting at individual and collective levels (such as voluntary work, involvement in community programs, development of collective community initiatives etc).

Even though at he moment, the immediate future does not look very bright in terms of climate change and global contamination, we are optimistic regarding the key role of our European youth in generating positive changes and we believe, that each and one educational action dedicated to youth is a long term investment for the future of our planet.

Romanian RAISE Youth AGRO Demo Center summer 2021 - on the field activities

Project RAISE Youth !21

Youth Employment Magazine

Inner City Blues This ain't livin', this ain't livin' No, no baby, this ain't livin' No, no, no, no Inflation no chance To increase finance Bills pile up sky high Send that boy oﬀ to die Hang-ups, let downs Bad breaks, set backs Natural fact is Oh honey that I can't pay my taxes In the soul classic from 1971, with the even more mesmerising music video from 1994 Harlem, Marvin Gaye recites his “Inner City Blues”; the blues of the repressed minorities of the American cities. It is a compelling depiction of the escalating disappointment, poverty, unemployment, hopelessness, racial discrimination, political representation crisis and the search for identity prevalent during the 1970s. After the dreamy 1960s, comes a decade of disillusionment, economic crisis, institutionalised racialism and unequal share of the financial burden upon the youth and the minorities.