Activities

Day 1: Project Outline

The focus of the first day of the TPM was to familiarise themselves with the project and their project partners. The host, B-Creative, introduced themselves and their work, followed by each project partner. They discussed the primary objectives of the project, which include promoting democracy, increasing EU awareness and combating climate change. They also defined the project's target group, consisting of Swedish, Irish, Turkish, Portuguese, and Danish youth aged 18 to 30, and outlined other key stakeholders. They concluded the day by discussing project management and logistics, including communication strategies, budget allocation, project timeline, and planned activities.

Day 2: Project Activities and Dissemination

On the second day of the meeting, they delved deeper into the project's activities, with a particular focus on the Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity (LTTA) scheduled for February in Copenhagen. They closely examined the local activities to be implemented before and immediately after the LTTA, as well as strategies to effectively engage young participants. They defined best practices for youth work, particularly in addressing climate anxiety and promoting civic engagement. They concluded the day by refining their social media dissemination strategy to reach a broader audience and engage with youth.

Day 1: Introductions

During the first day of our Erasmus+ activity on Tuesday, we learned a bit more about each other as well as about the EU. We began with some ice breaker exercises so that everyone would feel welcome and included. Before jumping into learning about democracy in the EU, our Danish host led team building activities, where Youth Ambassadors shared their personal stories through painting colorful mandalas. 

Our first session was an interactive seminar on EU legislation, jurisdiction and activities. Young people played a matching game about EU country flags in which they learned about each EU member states. Then, participants got introduced to the roles of EU parliament. Our Ambassadors discussed how the EU does and could address climate change in areas including tech, inclusion, production and sales as well as city planning.

Then we discussed how voting in the upcoming EU elections empowers youth to address climate change globally! Our Youth Ambassadors found out how different countries arrange their EU elections. We learned about different voting methods and their implications on election outcomes. As our final activity, we held mock elections to select a president and vice president to represent our Youth Ambassadors during the remainder of our visit. The Ambassadors had fun selecting their candidates, collaboratively writing their pitches, delivering them and finally actually voting using the Two-Round Voting System.

The day set a dynamic tone, laying the groundwork for a week of collaborative learning and cultural exchange.

Day 2: Fighting Climate Change and Exploring Copenhagen

The second day started with an energizer led by the Irish Ambassadors, preparing us for a day filled with group activities. In preparation for our visit to the European Environment Agency (EEA) on Thursday, we researched what the EEA does to prevent the climate crisis, and what their role is in the EU’s decision making processes. Ambassadors read the EEA’s research on nature, health, sustainability and economy. We then came up with questions to ask during our upcoming visit.

Finally, our president and vice-president led a youth ambassador meeting to finalise the questions.

After lunch, our Danish host took us on a beautiful walking tour of Copenhagen. We walked by the city’s famous attractions, like the City Hall, Tivoli, Frue Plads, and got the opportunity to learn the history and stories behind them.

Day 3: Visiting the EEA

The third day gave us the opportunity to visit the European Environmental Agency (EEA). The EEA’s staff members and interns held an insightful presentation about the Agency. Ambassadors learned about their roles and responsibilities in tackling environmental issues and climate change. Additionally, we were informed about traineeship opportunities in the EEA. At the end, Ambassadors asked their questions and received transparent and informing answers.

After our visit, we held a debriefing session, during which the Ambassadors shared their thoughts.

We ended the day with a fun and playful cultural night. Our Ambassadors from across the continent shared their culture with us through delicious food, traditional dances and gleeful quizzes!

Day 4: Farewell!

Our last day of the Up-Root Democracy Project Mobility in Copenhagen, Denmark was all about reflection, feedback and farewell.

Our host held a reflection and feedback session where young people shared their feelings, thoughts and compared their expectations about the mobility with their current experiences. We awarded our Youth Ambassadors with certificates to acknowledge their hard work and learning.

After the certification ceremony and it was time to say goodbye to our new friends until we see again during the next mobility in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Day 1: Introductions

We kicked off the mobility on the 3rd September with a lot of icebreakers and team building games that helped getting to know each other more before starting the activities. We then took part in an interactive seminars where we learned about and discussed the historical and political relations between Turkey & the EU that led to new opportunities such as this Erasmus+ project.

After lunch, we were introduced to the main topic of the mobility, sustainable city development, starting by discussing the Issues brought by the 2023 devastating earthquake in the South-East of Turkey. 

The activities ended with a fun creative workshop! Young people came up with brand new solutions for sustainable city development, using recycled materials to build their prototypes. Group 1 developed an innovative eye catching creation for waste collection. Group 2 designed a boat combining water, wind and solar energy. Group 3 created a house system that used wind and solar energy, as well as a system to reuse rain in the household.

As the first day came to a close, we had a lot of fun learning more about the Swedish and Danish culture during our first cultural night, playing games and singing traditional songs!

Day 2: Sustainability and Mock Elections

On the 2nd day, the activities were focused on the two main project topics: democracy and sustainability.

In the morning, we had a practical workshop where young people created social media content to promote eco-friendly behavious, the project and the international day of the democracy on September 22.

We also took part in a mock election workshop. The two young ambassadors voted president and vice president lead the afternoon sessions, which included insightful roundtable discussion on the role of the EU in combating climate change. Young people expressed interesting and valid ideas on how institutions should move forward in their sustainable development plans. The results of their discussion will be published on the project's social media and outputs to increase visibility among institutions and stakeholders.

Day 3: Visiting Göreme!

The 3rd day was excursion day! We had a great time learning more about Turkish history, trying Turkish food and exploring the Göreme and other surrounding stunning sites with a local tour guide! In the afternoon, our host organised a visit to the Nevsehir municipality. Young people had the opportunity to meet the Mayor of the city and learn more about his political background, as well as his views for sustainable city development and tourism.

The day finished off with a bang thanks to our cultural nights, where we listened to Turkish singers, tried the Irish dance and tasted some food from Portugal!

Day 4: Farewell!

On the last day, we wrapped up the mobility with a session to share our feedback and a certificate ceremony!

Day 2: Cultural Tour 

On the second day, partners took the time to enjoy Lisbon and its wonders, exploring Portugal’s capital and trying its local food.

This has been a very solid partnership that allowed us to create great resources, opportunities and results for young people. We are happy to have met our partners again and we will put forward some other collaboration ideas for future projects