Volunteers in YEE

When: April-December 2018

Where: various countries

Who: Youth and Environment Europe and partners

Project description:

The campaign will comprise of an online page on YEE website and local workshops. The online page will be launched in May. It will gather the knowledge from both training courses and will give young people the opportunity to share opinions on climate change and how they can participate to solve this issue through diverse media: articles, pictures and videos. The second part of the campaign are 10 local workshops organised by young people with the support of partner organisations. Workshops will focus on presenting international climate change frameworks to young people. In addition they will encourage young people to participate more by presenting tools on how they can implement these frameworks on a local level and still have a global effect. All workshops will be carried out in the same week in November, thus increasing their visibility.

Aim and objectives:

The aim of this international campaign is to empower young people to take part in climate change-related decision-making.

Objectives:

• To provide young people with an opportunity to share their views and experience on working on climate
• change issues
• To create a space for collecting experience and initiatives on the topic of climate change-related decision-making
• To give young people an opportunity to develop personal and social competences and gain experiences by actively participating in decision-making processes

Funders:

When: 8-15 July 2018

Where: ecological centre Slunakov, Horka nad Moravou, Czech Republic

Who: Youth and Environment Europe

Project description:

The second training course “Youth for environmental future” will be organised using the results of the training course "Youth exploring participation"and exploring the topic deeper and in a more concrete form. During this training course we will explore environmental decision-making and how it is conducted on different levels: from local to international. We will invite youth workers to come together to learn more about concrete international frameworks and find the way to bring them back to local reality. At this training course we will explore tools which will be developed at the first training course and will practice using them on concrete environmental decision-making processes. We would like to explore why young people are not actively involved in environmental decision-making today and how environmental youth organisations can reach local youth to make them more aware of environmental policies. During this project we will discuss such international frameworks as the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, Aarhus Convention, Bern Convention. We will explore how such documents are developed in connection with young people and how young people can follow the implementation and work on these documents more.

Aim and objectives:

The aim of the project is to broaden the understanding of environmental decision-making processes among youth workers and youth

Objectives:

• To define environmental decision-making and explore different levels of it: local, regional, national, international
• To identify the role of youth in environmental decision-making and ways for them to be involved in it
• To develop the capacities of youth workers and environmental youth organisations to support the youth involvement in environmental decision-making

Funders:

When: 17-23 March 2018

Where: Kapraluv Mlyn, Ochoz u Brna, Czech Republic

Who: Youth and Environment Europe

Project description:

The training course will bring together 32 young people - youth workers and active volunteers from various environmental youth organisations. During the training course we will dive deep into the topic of youth participation, empowerment and public participation as a tool to promote citizens’ engagement in environmental governance and policy-making processes. The participants will explore and learn more about the following topics:

• Public participation
• Youth participation: why it is important to involve young people and how it might affect their lives
• Theory of participation: Hart’s participation ladder, different aspects of participation (political, civic, action research)
• Examples of successful youth participation from various countries
• How NGOs can influence and promote youth participation
• Tools for engaging young people and concrete knowledge and skills for future projects.

Aim and objectives:

The aim of the training course is to explore and establish the role of environmental youth organisations in fostering youth participation.

Objectives:

• To explore the definition and importance of public and youth participation and variations of youth participation
• To share experiences of organising projects connected with youth participation
• To provide environmental youth organisations with tools for engaging young people as active citizens

Funders:

When: throughout 2018

Where: Czech Republic and various countries

Who: Youth and Environment Europe

Project description:

With this project we want to focus on youth participation in environmental decision-making on different levels: international, national and regional. Documents and international agreements about environment seem to be very distant from everyday life - which can demotivate and discourage young people to even read such documents. Many young people think that they cannot influence their politicians or do not know how to do it. With this project we want to provide youth organisations with competences on how to educate young people about active citizenship as well as their environmental rights and responsibilities.

Aim and objectives:

The aim of this project is to equip young people with the knowledge and the capacity to participate in environmental decision-making processes.

The objectives are:

• To establish the role of environmental youth organisations in fostering youth participation.
• To broaden the understanding of environmental decision-making processes among youth workers and youth.
• To provide youth organisations with tools and methods for engaging young people and promoting active citizenship.
• To empower and support young people to take part in climate change-related decision-making.

Description of activities:

1. The first training course "Youth exploring participation", 17-23 March 2018, Kapraluv Mlyn, Czech Republic. During the training course we will explore what participation means, which levels of participation there are, good examples of participation, how organisations can influence the involvement of young people. During the project we will find out what is the stake of young people in decision-making  and the competences of organisations and youth workers on engaging and inspiring young people to become active citizens.
2. The second training course "Youth for environmental future", 8-15 July 2018, ecological center Slunakov, Czech Republic. It will focus on environmental decision-making and the role of youth in it: international frameworks, role of countries, involvement of citizens in accepting and following international agreements, decision-making on different levels: international and local. Another focus will be developing competences of youth workers and organisations to promote young people’s engagement in environmental decision-making.
3. The international campaign "Take a green stand", April-December 2018. It will focus on using the knowledge and skills from both training courses on promoting youth participation in climate change-related decision-making: selected partners will organise local workshops (with financial support) on various international frameworks, their development and implementation: for example, the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals. We will also support the process with a webpage on YEE website which will include articles, videos, materials with examples of young people getting engaged in their communities.

Partners:

• Young Researchers of Serbia
• AYA (Russia)
• SYC (Armenia)
• FYCA (Armenia)
• Khazer (Armenia)
• Young Biologists Association (Armenia)
• Yeghvard (Armenia)
• EDEN Center (Albania)
• SAEM (Georgia)
• Gutta-Club (Moldova)
• EnviroTeam Association (Romania)
• Associazione Eufemia (Italy)
• FÖJ-AKTIV e.V. (Germany)
• Balta Daba (Latvia)
• Eco-Logic (Macedonia)
• Biodiversa (Spain)
• ECO-Unesco (Ireland)

Funders:

General information

What is sustainability?

Building financial austainability in development organisations

What does a sustainable organisation look like?

10 Myths about sustainability

Organisational Sustainability (slide show)

Three phases of sustainability

NGO’s on sustainable development

Sustainability in NGOs

Financial sustainability in NGO

Solutions

Building Sustainability into your NGO

How to develop a sustainability plan for an NGO

Creating the sustainability plan (basic tips)

How to make the office more sustainable

13 steps to develop a NGO financial sustainability strategy

How to build sustainability in NGOs

Best practices

The 14 most influential sustainability NGOs

Creating a sustainable organisation (video)

Three companies with best practices in environmental sustainability

Best practices in sustainability

Collaboration for sustainability: 8 best practices

Planning green events

How to plan a sustainable event

17 things I wish I knew before planning a sustainable event

10 tips to plan sustainable events

Guide 1

Green 2

Other (interesting articles)

A year without flying

Here you can check the presentations about waste management prepared by the participants of the youth exchange "Three Rs for the Environment":

Waste management in Georgia

Waste management in the Czech Republic

Waste management in Portugal

Waste management in Russia 

When: APV: 3-5 July 2015; YE:15-23 August 2015

Where: Yerevan, Armenia

Who: Youth and Environment Europe (Czech Republic), FYCA (Armenia)

When: 16/09/2012 - 23/09/2012

Where: Tirana, Albania

Contact person: Lira Hakani, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project description:

Generations of today live on a planet where urban development has main focus of attention and importance. Often the sustainability appraisal is neglected during planning process, as well as the right of public information and participation in decision making. There are different examples in different countries where the pedestrians' space is invaded by urban development and there are not less the cases of civil society reactions and community reactions against such an approach, but they are fragmentized. Meanwhile it is being presented as a Europe-wide problem.

The project will involve organizations from different European countries who work in the field of youth and environmental protection and want to make green changes in their cities by influencing decision makers and raise community awareness.

While running all the activities of the project (practical workshops, outdoor activities, environmental games, presentations) methods of non-formal education will be used (interactive workshops - learning by doing, creative activities, reflection in small groups, discussions, simulation games, role plays, group work and participants' presentations). The last day of the youth exchange will include a one day direct action in the city on the occasion of 22/9, the World Car Free Day.

All participants will be involved in preparing different sessions of the agenda - some of the sessions will be prepared by national teams of participants, others by the international preparatory team composed of the group leaders. In this way, they will develop the feeling of ownership of the action and its outcomes, so the enthusiasm will continue and will be transferred in their own communities after the project is finished.

YEE is the applicant and sending partner of the project and EDEN Center will host the YE.

Aims and objectives

Aims:

The Youth Exchange 'Give pedestrians their city back' aims to share experiences and best practices about the concept and various actions on green cities and also to develop cooperation and common awareness aising actions (campaign) that will be afterwards implemented in several European countries.

Objectives:

The project has the following objectives:

• To exchange and share information, knowledge, experience and ideas in the topic of green cities and public information and participation;
• To share experience and examples of good and bad practices from the different countries by methods of non-formal education;
• To encourage the development of green skills and behaviors;
• To provide young people with the opportunity to learn from each other and to learn by doing;
• To cooperate together and design an international campaign on how to influence decision makers into a green thinking;
• To inspire creativity and entrepreneurship in the youth field;
• To provide space for networking and planning common activities for the future.

The objectives of the one day action are:

• To implement and test the campaign that will be designed during the YE;
• To attract attention of the Tirana Municipality into a green thinking;
• To raise public awareness on their rights to public information and participation;

Participating organisations:

Youth and Environment Europe, Czech Republic

Environmental center for Development Education and Networking, Albania

Oddzial Akademicki Polskiego Towarzystwa Turystyczno-Krajoznawczego w Krakowie (OA PTTK), Poland

NaturKultur /FOEJ-Aktiv, Germany

Organizaçao para a Promoçao dos Ecoclubes, Portugal

Young Researchers of Serbia, Serbia

Center for logistics and transportation, Montenegro

DEM, Macedonia

Funders:

YEE Day

YEE Day will take place in all the countries where MOs wish to take part in the event.

This year is the International Year of Forests, thus YEE Day will be linked to the YEE Campaign 'Caring for the future? Caring for the forest!. In order to give you an idea of what can be done, here is a presentation of the what will take place in Czech Republic.

When: Autumn 2011

Where: Dobřiš, Czech Republic, 30km south of Prague

Who: YEE

Activities: During one day volunteers will gather to spend some time in forest, clean it and have some activities in it. See above what will be done for YEE Day in Czech Republic.

8h30 - 9h15: Walk in the forest and observation of animals with the help of an expert.

9h15 - 9h30: Games to get to know each other.

9h30 - 12h30: Cleaning the forest from the trash we will find in it. It is important to separe the garbage.

12h30 - 14h00: Lunch and discussions.

14h00 - 16h00: Land art and music in the forest.

16h00: End of the day, distribution of postcards as souvenirs.

Postcards to download: postcard1, postcard2, postcard3

Objectives: YEE Day is an occasion to do something good for the environment and promote YEE at the same time. We want to raise awarness towards some environmental issues linked to forests and have people interested in act for it.

What can be done? YEE Day should be adapted to the different countries where it takes place. Each organisation can prepare different activities. 
It is important to adapt to the local situation by taking in account the possibilities of action, the needs, the ressources and possibilities of fund raising.

The way YEE Day is done can be very different from one country to another. Here are some ideas of activities:

• Collecting trash and make sculptures out of it

• Making sounds or music of the forest by using natural elements, you can also record it

• Open debates about topics related to nature

• Treasure hunting including games or tasks connected to forest

• Prepare food or drink with ingredients found in nature

If you are interested in taking part in the event, have a look at our leaflet which will give you more detailed information.

Please feel free to contact us for further information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Important documents for participants

• Agenda of the TC 'I can lead! I can facilitate!'
• Participants' list
• Info sheet for participants

Materials

Qualities of a leader	Guide for facilitators 1	Guide for facilitators 2	Guide for facilitators 3	Guide for facilitators 4
Methods for facilitating discussions	Feedback introduction	Feedback	Evaluation types	Motivation session
Non formal education explanation	Non verbal communication	Reflection groups	Stages of group development	Ways of participation

	Facilitation	Group Dynamics	Leadership	Motivation
Welcome space
Evaluation space
	Non-Formal Education	Participation	Presentations	What do you think?
Welcome space
Evaluation space

When: 22nd to 24th of July 2011

Where: Toulcuv Dvur, Prague, Czech Republic

Who: Youth and Environment Europe

YEE Annual Meeting is a meeting of representatives of YEE member organisations.

As part of this year's programme of the Annual Meeting you can look forward to:

• the elaboration of the 2011/2012 working plan of the federation with new interesting environmental projects and activities,

• the election of the new YEE executive board,

• the discussion about the short term strategies of YEE,

• and a lot more about YEE, international cooperation, etc.

Agenda of YEE Annual Meeting 2011

If you have any questions please contact YEE office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Remember, you and your organization can create the future of YEE!!!
We are looking forward to meeting you during the most important YEE meeting.

Some word from the participants:

projectAM2 MP3:

Opinions from participants

"Annual meeting of YEE member organisations was a new and novel experience to me as I got the chance to know more about the work of YEE office and other organisations. It was very interesting and inspiring to watch how future projects were created, discussed and organised, to see how many people have similar views in the subject of ecology and are able to make their own unique projects and that other participants were ready to support them in their ideas. I also appreciated the fact that all the organisational work and all future projects are done by young people who are not afraid to take responsibility and are ready to help each other."
Natalya Luchko (EcoCenter Zapovedniks, Russia)

"During the Annual Meeting, I've received complete and thorough information about YEE's functioning and activities it undergoes, about its structure and future plans. Also, I found out how important YEE's involvement in environment protection is and learned about the ways how it is promoted.
In conclusion, I have to say that the whole project was greatly supportive and valuable from experience gaining standpoint. The information got and skills developed will help me in my everyday work and even deepen the enthusiasm for future endeavors."
Irine Elisabedashvili (ASA, Georgia)

"During Annual Meeting we were able to get to know YEE really deeply. To be honest, formal procedures were not exactly funny, although there were plenty of energizing games. Nevertheless the meeting became truly exciting when we started planning ahead. The next year will be engrossing, so much new projects and activities! I am looking forward and I hope that I will be engaged in them.
And what I took back home from Annual Meeting? Faces. Of all participants and all organizers, full of enthusiasm and with shining eyes. It was great to see so many avid people at one place, each of them willing to devote his or her time to meaningful activities."
Tomas Protivinsky (Hnuti Brontosaurus, Czech Republic)

"It was a really great experience to 'see' how big international organization works - the plans until the next annual meeting - how they were structured, prioritized... It was fascinating that I could find out more about the ideas of all these young people and try to find how my ideas could be connected with those of the others in such a way that they could form a whole project for the next year!"
Stoycho Mihov (EO Rhodope , Bulgaria)

Umweltmanagementsysteme sind ein planvoller und strukturierter – und somit systematischer – Umgang mit den Umweltthemen einer Organisation. Die Kenntnis der eigenen Umweltauswirkungen und die Einhaltung der einschlägigen Vorschriften bilden die Basis. Die Organisation muss eine geeignete Aufbau- und Ablauforganisation zu allen Umweltthemen festlegen und umsetzen. Eigene Überwachungsinstrumente, wie z.B. das interne Audit oder die Kontrolle aller wesentlichen Verbräuche, zeigen regelmäßig Verbesserungspotenziale auf. Die Organisation legt darüber hinaus Umweltziele fest, um den betrieblichen Umweltschutz kontinuierlich zu verbessern. Eine Zertifizierung durch eine akkreditierte Stelle bestätigt der Organisation die Einhaltung der Vorgaben und kann öffentlichkeitswirksam verwendet werden.

Ein Umweltmanagementsystem auf der Basis der ISO 14001 oder der EMAS ist eine systematische Herangehensweise an Umweltfragen, die ein allgemeines systematisches Management der Organisation ergänzt und stärkt. Organisationen mit einem guten Management weisen im Allgemeinen durch eine proaktive und umfassende Herangehensweise eine höhere Leistung auf.

• Kosteneinsparungen
• Risikoverringerung im Sinne der Umwelthaftung
• Vorbereitung der Organisation auf die zukünftigen Märkte
• verbesserte Beziehungen zu Behörden
• bessere Motivation von MitarbeiterInnen sowie
• bessere Leistungen in den Bereichen Gesundheits- und Umweltschutz

In dieser Veranstaltung informieren wir Sie über die Aufwand und Nutzen bei der Einführung eines Umweltmanagementsystems.

• Wie kann Ihr Unternehmen von der Umsetzung eines Umweltmanagementsystems profitieren?
• Welcher Aufwand entsteht bei der Einführung eines Umweltmanagement-systems und welche Fördermittel stehen Ihrem Unternehmen bezüglich dieses Anliegens zur Verfügung?

Programm

Download:

Flugblatt

Anmeldeformular

Pro českou verzi článku klikněte SEM

YEE invites everybody interested to presentation of possibilities of international coopearation and workshop on ecomapping. It will take place November 16 from 14.00 to 19.00 in ecological centre Toulcův Dvůr in Prague. In the first part of the programme YEE, its international activities and how to get involved will be presented. During the second part the ecomapping method will be introduced to the participants.

Ecomapping© is a modern and practical method, which helps primarily small organizations and enterprises to establish environmental management system. Creating ecomaps is very easy – just looking carefully around and drawing all significant environmental aspect into seven maps (urban situation, water, soil, air + odours + noise + dust, energy, waste and risks) of the selected object or its part (office, company, house). The most important is to later think about the negative impacts on the environment and how they can get lower.

EMASeasy tool and brochure based on the concept of ecomapping had been developed by Heinz Werner Engel, executive director of the Belgian based consultancy, Eco-Conseil Entreprise and supported by DG Environment. For more information see the official websites: http://www.emaseasy.eu, http://www.ecoconseil-entreprise.com.

The workshop will be held in Czech language. If you would like to participate, please fill in the attached application form and send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. till November 12.

Invitation – Pozvánka

Application form – Přihláška

YEE zve všechny zájemce na prezentaci mezinárodní činnosti a workshop o ekomapování. Akce se bude konat 16. listopadu 2010 od 14 do 19 hodin v ekologickém centru Toulcův Dvůr v Praze. V první části programu proběhne prezentace organizace YEE, jejích mezinárodních aktivit a možností, jak se zapojit. Následovat bude úvod do ekomapování.

Ekomapování je praktická a velmi jednoduchá nová metoda sloužící primárně organizacím a malým firmám k přípravě na zavedení systému environmentálního managementu. Do sady sedmi map objektu (urbánní situace, voda, půda, vzduch + pachy + hluk + prach, energie, odpad, rizika) se zakreslují všechny environmentální aspekty a posuzuje se jejich negativní vliv na životní prostředí. Výsledkem je nejen mapa podrobně zachycující prostor, ve kterém žijeme a pracujeme, ale především seznam návrhů na to, jak snížit naši celkovou zátěž životního prostředí.

EMASeasy, metoda založená na konceptu ekomapování, byla vyvinuta Heinzem Wernerem Engelem, výkonným ředitelem belgické konzultační společnossti Eco-Conseil Entreprise a podpořena DG Environment. Více informací na oficiálních webových stránkách: http://www.emaseasy.eu, http://www.ecoconseil-entreprise.com.

Workshop bude probíhat v českém jazyce. Pokud máte zájem se akce zúčastnit, pošlete prosím vyplněnou přihlášku (ke stažení níže) emailem na adresu This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. do 12. listopadu 2010.

Pozvánka

Přihláška

What: Pictures exhibition: "Water – Its importance in pictures"

When: July - December 2010

Where: Photos taken in: Albania, Armenia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, Slovakia, USA

Exhibition will be displayed in: Albania, Armenia, Czech Republic

Who: YEE, EDEN (Albania), FYCA (Armenia), Konopa (Czech Republic), DJN (Germany)

Project description

We drink water every day mainly with no reflection. But fresh water is a real treasure that needs to be protected. Water is an integral part of our environment and we cannot live without it, however, there are people who do not have access to fresh water.

Within the project "Water - its importance in pictures" we will collect pictures of people drinking at public spaces - at squares, in forest, from fountains... We will make a photo gallery of these pictures and publish it at websites www.sunnycampaign.net and www.yeenet.eu.
Pictures will be taken along summer in the European countries.

Selected pictures will be then printed in big format and during autumn exposed in following European cities moving from country to country: Armenia, Czech Republic and Albania.

Each exhibition will be accompanied by description of the water importance adapted to each country where the exhibition will be installed. Invited experts on environment and human rights will give a speech by the openings of the exhibition in each country. Final pictures and texts of the exhibition will be put at the web page of partner organisations. We will create a forum on the Sunny Campaign website in order to give a space for discussion of the topic.

Everybody is welcome to contribute with pictures from all over the World. Summer trips are great opportunity to do so. Water flows in our Universe and as environment it knows no border. Let’s show it to people! To contribute send your pictures to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or write us. Write down your full name and your country of origin that can be used for the subtitle of the picture.

Objectives

International project that aims to motivate people to protect fresh water resources and to point out fresh water in the scope of human rights.

Participating countries

Albania, Armenia, Czech Republic, Germany

Financial support

This project was funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe, and supported as a part of YEE working plan 2010 by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Comission. The photos were printed with kind support of Centrum FotoŠkoda.

Photogalleries

Water - Its Importance in Pictures photogallery