Call for Participants | Online Training Course “Advocates for a Green Future”

Start your environmental advocacy journey with YEE! Youth and Environment Europe is looking for participants for the online international training course “Advocates for a Green Future” between 09 April – 18 April 2021.

The online training course “Advocates for a Green Future” will gather youth workers, climate activists,sustainability professionals and volunteers active in environmental NGOs and/or informal groups looking to strengthen the impact of their organisations by effective advocacy, campaigning and lobbying.

Together with the YEE Advocacy Team, experts and external guests, we will focus on practical skills of lobbying, campaigning and advocacy, digital communication methods and framing to influence and participate in political processes on environmental issues.

Advocacy and campaigns are central to communicating the demands of young people and to securing a long-lasting positive change. At the same time, campaigning can shine a spotlight on emerging issues that have not yet been picked up by policymakers. We want to develop competences of young people needed to advocate and lobby for environmental policies at different levels.

The sessions will be held on the weekends – Friday to Sunday 09-11.4. and Saturday to Sunday 17-18.4. The week between will be spent on informal activities, networking individual tasks and team work.

During this online training course you will:

explore, learn and practice diverse tools and methods of advocacy, campaigning and lobbying on environmental issues,
share tools and knowledge on how to use different ways and methods of communication and framing for policy making,
plan local advocacy campaigns using the new skills and tools acquired,
meet new like-minded peers, create new connections, share good practices and learn from other participants.

The programme will be based on non-formal education methodologies and centred around participants’ experiential learning, considering different learning styles.

Sounds interesting? Apply now!

Who are we looking for?

Participants of the training course are expected to have some experience working on environmental issues i.e. organising climate actions, and a good knowledge of their local environmental issues.

We welcome applications from those who are interested in the topic, are motivated to learn and share knowledge with an international group of young people in the training course and get involved in projects on the topic following the course.

The criteria for applying are the following:

Be between 18 and 30 years old, residing in one of the Council of Europe member states, Belarus or Kosovo;
Have good communication skills and speak English well (you should be able to clearly express yourself both orally and in writing);
Be an active member of a YEE member organisation or any other youth organisation, group or movement, orwork/volunteer in such an organisation;
Be interested in the topics of the training course: environmental issues, sustainability, youth movements, youth participation, climate action campaigning, advocacy, lobbying, digital communications, social media,
Be willing to support the rest of the group and be a team player;
Be able and motivated to attend the whole training course and take part in the follow-up activity”Step up and stand up!”;
Be motivated to take back the learning experience to your home organisations and/or communities;
Be committed to the aims of the project and YEE values!

How to apply?
Interested candidates should submit the online application which you can find HERE.
Deadline for applications: 31 March 2021 (23:59 CET).

You will be informed about the results of theselection within 5 days after the deadline. If you have any questions regarding the prep-team application please don’t hesitate to contact YEE Project Manager Karolina at karolina@yeenet.eu

We are looking forward to receiving your applications! Good Luck!

Important Info

The training course will take place online via Zoom during the weekends from 9 April to 18 April2021. The training will have 5 working days (Friday 9.4. , Saturday 10.4, Sunday 11.4. and Saturday17.4 and Sunday 18.4) with a total of max 5 training hours daily. On Saturdays and Sundays, we willhold two blocks of online sessions, first from approximately 10.00 to 12.00 (CET) and the secondone from 13.30 to 15.30 (CET). Each working day will be closed with the “evaluation and reflectionsession” from 15.30 to 16.00 (CET). The 5 working days will be complemented by the 5 days (12-16April 2021) of informal activities, individual tasks and teamwork.
The training course programme will be based on the principles of non-formal education andintercultural learning. We strive for an active, inclusive program that includes directcommunication and a sharing of knowledge. The online sessions will be balanced betweentheoretical inputs, workshops, discussions, training and other interactive methods of non-formallearning. We will use online interactive tools.
The online training course is the first activity of YEE’s project ‘Imagining the Green Future’ supported by the European Youth Foundation, Council of Europe and Erasmus+. Therefore, there are follow-up activities which participant should attend. During the training course, participants will be invited to develop ideas of a local environmental project they would like to organise with young people, using campaign/lobbying/advocacy work and develop these ideas during the TC to later implement them and reach a wider impact. After the training course,participants will have a chance to apply for sub-funding to organise their own local action with YEE support.
By submitting the online application form you undertake an agreement to participate in the full programme of the training course, meaning every session during the full 5 working days. You also agree with rules of YEE Conduct for Online Learning.
After successful completion of the training course, participants will receive YEE Certificate and international certificate YouthPass.