Following the EU Youth Strategy and in the European Year of Youth, Green_Youth is a network of 8 European cities that will work for the sensitization of young people about the European Green Deal in response to the crisis caused by the pandemic and what is their role and that of local communities in the ecological transition and in achieving the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda.
The main objective of Green_Youth project is to promote debate and youth reflection on the future of Europe and in this sense, on the potential way out of the crisis that the commitment to the European Green Deal represents. Green_Youth will work for the participation and involvement of young people, who are being the most affected group by the economic and social crisis caused by COVID19 and also, as the generation that must reflect on the Europe in which they themselves want to live in the future. At this very fundamental moment, it is necessary to generate new narratives that reinforce the EU values and are born from the cities and citizens that make it up. In this sense, Green_Youth is a network of towns that will focus on involving the younger population through education and participation, making them explore European strategies in the environmental field, their relationship with local communities and the opportunities that they arise for the youth to progress.
In this context, the European Green Deal offers a strategic place for youth as key agents in the ecological transition of the European Union, offers alternatives to restore the jobs and services that have been destroyed during the pandemic and tackles economic and political major challenges such as the energy crisis and the need for energy autonomy in the EU that can be sustained primarily through renewable sources as means not only for a climate neutral economy, but for peace, prosperity and democracy in the continent. Therefore, the following are specific objectives of Green_Youth:
- Raise awareness and sensitize the young population about the European Green Deal and its role in the ecological transition of the EU;
- Increase the civic responsibility of young people and their participation in issues related to the sustainable development of their cities;
- Encourage the exchange of experiences and joint learning between the different participants from the different European cities, in order to formulate local strategies and actions on the European Green Deal and the ecological transition;
- Contribute to dissemination of European policies on the environment and climate change at local level, with particular emphasis on young Europeans;
- Provide tips and tools to find jobs, education and volunteering opportunities in the field of ecological transition for young people, as a way to face the setbacks imposed by the pandemic;
- Reflect on the need to accelerate the path to a climate neutral, circular and clean economy that relies on renewable sources of energy and that is less dependent on fossil fuels as means for peace, prosperity and democracy in Europe.
Green_Youth wants to contribute to close the gap between the EU and the youth by acting locally and, at the same time, internationally, and by fostering the youth awareness, engagement, participation and sense of belonging for an active and positive citizenship, and its design and program is comprehensive and fully committed with the European Youth Strategy and its guidelines and goals.