The Erasmus+ program is the European Union’s program to support education, training, youth, and sport in Europe. The program strongly focuses on social inclusion, green and digital transitions, and promoting youth participation in democratic life.

Sunce is the lead organization for the Erasmus+ project titled Life in plastic is NOT fantastic! Amid the pressing global challenges of massive waste production and unsustainable production, there is a clear lack of awareness of the environmental impacts of individual consumption habits and the need to reduce waste. This knowledge gap, which limits people’s ability to make informed decisions to reduce their environmental impact, is exactly what our project is addressing.

Project goals:

The project aims to educate young people in an accessible and engaging way about the complexity of the relationship between human actions and environmental impacts while simultaneously empowering them to translate this understanding into practical changes in their daily lives.

A total of 38 young people from six different countries will learn about ecological sustainability, responsible consumption, and ways of adopting and promoting sustainable lifestyles in their communities through workshops. We believe that through an interesting program and a series of practical activities, we will be able to inspire young people to adopt a more responsible approach towards the environment. Additionally, we aim to provide participants with tools to promote sustainable habits in their communities.

Through the activities, other aims will be achieved, including:

• • to engage participants to gain an intercultural experience and explore the differences and habits in each of the countries that contribute to environmental sustainability practices;

• • to explore types of waste, promote waste reduction (including digital waste), and develop safe and effective approaches for disposing of generated waste;

• • to provide space for intercultural learning, get to know local reality in the host country, and broaden the worldview of participants;

• • to complete a range of practical activities that reflect the values of environmentally responsible behavior and responsible consumption: produce alternatives for single-use plastic items (for example, beeswax wraps, tote bags, soap, etc.), visit a local landfill or recycling site, and hold a clean-up action;

• • through non-formal learning methods, give participants knowledge about the European Green Deal, Sustainable Development Goals, and the importance of active citizen engagement; learn the basics of project management for mini-projects in the local community;

• • create a digital toolbook on how to reduce ecological footprint in everyday life and promote it on social media for the wide public.

Project duration: 12 months

Start Date: February 1, 2024

End Date: January 1, 2025

Lead Partner: Association for Nature, Environment, and Sustainable Development Sunce

Funding: Funded by the European Union in amount 31,093.00 EUR 

Project Partners:

• • Gromadska Organisatsia Harkivska Asotsiatsia Dlya Aktivnoy Molodi Stella – Ukraine

• • Genc Caba Dernegi – Turkey

• • Yhdessä-Yhdistys Together-Association Ry – Finland

• • Asociacion Las Ninas Del Tul – Spain

• • Proactive Group Georgia – Georgia

Project Manager on behalf of Sunce:

Domagoj Goreta, MSc in Sociology
E-mail: [email protected]