Planting Sustainability is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. This project is dedicated to developing and delivering interdisciplinary, environmentally responsible education that prepares youth and children for tomorrow's challenges.
The project consisted of providing young volunteers with the necessary knowledge of economic and ecological criteria. Through informal, cross-curricular education, volunteers acquire valuable skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking. To pass on knowledge, volunteers who complete this course continue to teach kindergarten children, where they learn new skills. Interaction between volunteers and children promotes experiential and social development, resulting in a generation of volunteers who are able to cope with the global environmental crisis from an economic perspective, and children with an ecological and economic mindset. Statement: We firmly believe that today’s youth and tomorrow’s children are the true agents of change.
Activities
Selections volunteers
# Selections volunteers
The volunteer selection period will last for 2 months.
To participate, register on this link and you will be contacted by the partner representing your country. (different for each partner)
Who is eligible?
VOLUNTEER: 18-25 years old,
-Member enrolled or recently completed (1 year) high school, higher education or training course
-Knowledge of English language level B1,
-Interested in ecology and/or economics and/or pedagogy,
-He likes to spend time with children
Training
The training course will be held in two parts, for a full duration of 2 months.
The first part, focused on pedagogy, will take place 2 hours a week for 4 weeks, the second part focused on economy and ecology, 2 and a half hours a week for 4 weeks.
The entire training course will be online so that volunteers can fulfill their responsibilities outside of the project.
Also here are the pedagogy and economy and sustainability handbooks that you can access online or download at any time in section resourses.
kindergarten Activities
# Performance of kindergarten Activities
The activities held in the kindergarten will be for one week in 3 kindergartens from each partner country. For the guidance of the volunteers, we have created a route for each day:
DAY 1
First activity: getting to know the volunteer through the game, General environmental orientation: plants, animals, nature, Discussion with children: How should we treat nature and our planet?,
DAY 2
Green economy: 5 principles of the green economy, Endangered animals: how do we save them?, Mathematical operations: Counting endangered animals.
DAY 3
Natural resources (oceans, water): What do we use them for? Why do we use too much? Why is it dirty? Recycle, Reuse, Reduce (3Rs), Mathematical operations: How do we save money through the 3Rs?
DAY 4
Plants: Why do we need them? What is their role in nature? We seek connections – We are animals too. What animal are you? Mathematical operations: How much fruit and vegetables do animals (and humans) need to eat to stay healthy?
DAY 5
Through the game, getting “money” for the final activity, Final activity: buying and planting your own plant. Children will choose between three types of plants, each of them will have a different price and function (one can be just pretty, another can help health..), each child will also have a different amount of “money “. The success of this activity will be determined by the children’s answer to the question of why they chose a certain plant and if it was in their budget. Finally, the children will plant the plants and take them home.
✨ After successful workshops in Naples and Slovakia, our volunteers form the project have been implementing educational activities in kindergartens across Romania, Italy, and Slovakia, teaching young children about sustainability and ecology.
🌱 Educational Activities
Our volunteers have worked with children aged 5-7, using engaging methods to teach sustainability:
Storytelling: “The History of the Elephant” used characters like Dino the Elephant to illustrate environmental impact.
Creative Workshops: Children made objects with recycled materials to learn about recycling.
Eco Hero Song: This song emphasized the importance of sustainability through music.
🌍 Activities Across Three Countries
Romania:
Highlights: Volunteers discussed sustainability with children, explaining concepts like prices and values. Creative activities showed how choices impact the economy and environment. The children’s curiosity and enthusiasm were inspiring.
Slovakia:
Highlights: In Prietrzka and Vradiste, volunteers engaged children in creative crafts and games, teaching them about the green economy and forming meaningful connections.
Italy:
Highlights: In Naples, outdoor activities such as storytelling and role-playing helped preschoolers understand recycling and environmental impact in an engaging way.
🤗 Collaboration with kindergartens has been fruitful, forming special bonds between volunteers and children. These interactions empower children to express their ideas and foster sustainable solutions.
This experience has enriched our volunteers’ skills and professional journeys. Kindergartens in all three countries are eager for future collaborations.
Resources
• Pedagogy Handbook
• Economical and sustainable Handbook
Toolkit
Mobilities
After participating in the non-formal educational part of the training course, the volunteers will go on two mobilities. One in Italy and another in Slovakia, which is described in the next activity.
These mobilities are free for the beneficiaries, providing transport, food and accommodation.
Italy, 10 - 15 December 2023
MOBILITY 1
ITALY
For this mobility, 3 volunteers from each country will be selected, their role is to get as much knowledge as possible to pass on to the other volunteers.
Mobility for 5 days. The volunteers will be divided into three international teams, each of which will consist of one person for each the country.
Volunteers will work on the activities and prepare tools for it for 6 hours a day. It will make sure mentoring, guidance and feedback on the performance of activities.
We want to share with you the involvement of our partner Sinergie, who has created a wonderful experience for participants in a mobility project in Naples, Italy, as part of the “Planting Sustainability” initiative.
Thanks to their passionate commitment and constant support, we have succeeded in bringing to life a series of activities and events aimed at promoting mobility and sustainable education. Our participants have been extremely active, organizing activities both on-site and in kindergartens, activities that have brought essential pedagogical knowledge about sustainable economics and innovative ways to convey it to young children.
We are thrilled that we could rely on Sinergie to support every stage of this project and for the invaluable resources provided.
Through our collective efforts, we have managed to create a conducive environment for learning and the exchange of ideas, thereby contributing to the education of the new generation in the spirit of sustainability values.
MOBILITY 2
SLOVAKIA
For this mobility, 3 volunteers will be selected from each country, different from those who were in Italy, with the role of taking as much knowledge as possible to pass on to the other volunteers.
Mobility for 5 days. The volunteers will be divided into three international teams, each of which will consist of one person for each the country.
Volunteers will work on the activities and prepare tools for it for 6 hours a day. It will make sure mentoring, guidance and feedback on the performance of activities.
During the second mobility of the project in Slovakia, the participants enjoyed a memorable and enriching experience.
Over the course of 5 days, they collaborated with a kindergarten, focusing on developing games and activities aimed at teaching children about sustainable economics.
The participants were delighted by the enthusiasm and creativity of the children during these activities and felt proud to contribute to their education in such an important field for our future.
One of the remarkable moments of the mobility was composing a song together with the children, with a sustainability theme. Through the lyrics and melody they created together, they conveyed powerful messages about environmental protection and responsibility towards nature. This process was not only a creative experience but also an effective way to reinforce the children’s understanding of the importance of conserving natural resources.
Slovakia, 30 January - 04 February 2024
Partners
IN VARIETATE CONCORDIA (IVC)
HISTORY/FIELD OF ACTIVITY
IN VARIETATE CONCORDIA (IVC) was officially established in Constanta (Romania) on 11 June 2018 and since 2022 moved its headquarter in Bucharest. Our mission is to contribute to sustainable development, equity and efficient use of all available resources in order to create a better and more sustainable future for all.
IVC support the UN Sustainable and Development Goals addressing the following social challenges: poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. We are also supporting the EU2020 strategy benchmarks for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in order to increase employment rate (in particular among youth and young adults), to raise youth and young adults participation in lifelong learning.
TARGET
IVC focuses its activities on young people and vulnerable people, but also on women who need support and guidance.
CONNECTUS
HISTORY/FIELD OF ACTIVITY
CONNECTUS is a new association working on different topics with different target groups. The main aim is to connect, to connect diverse people with people, people with nature, people with culture and traditions, people with themselves. The main goal of CONNECTUS association is to support voluntary work and the principle of self-help in society, the integration of young people with fewer opportunities, the promotion of ecology, youth mobility, environmental protection and sustainable development. These are achieved through active participation in European networks, in cooperation with public and private non-profit organisations, educational organisations and schools in Slovakia and abroad, in order to highlight the national and world cultural heritage and creativity and to promote free time of citizens, especially young people.
Activities in the areas:
– intercultural and environmental education;
– environmental protection;
– art and culture;
– supporting local community and local activities;
– non-formal learning;
– youth mobility;
COSVITEC
HISTORY/FIELD OF ACTIVITY
Cosvitec, established in 2001 in Naples, is a Research, Higher Education, and Vocational Training center formed by the University of Naples “Federico II,” University Parthenope, and SMEs. It collaborates with universities, research centers, high-tech companies, and SMEs to provide technology transfer and innovation support services, manage research and education projects, and offer training opportunities for youth employment. As a Job Intermediation Agency under the ‘Youth Guarantee’ program, it actively contributes to local employment policies.
Cosvitec supports research institutions, offering consultancy and support for scientific projects in areas such as Agrifood, Nutraceutical, and Pharmaceutical research. It also leads the vocational technical cluster ‘P.R.O.S.I.T – Network Programme for Employment and Integrated Territorial Development’ for Agribusiness – Tourism and Cultural Heritage.
Activities:
1) Education: As a training agency, we are involved in developing education and training courses for companies and individuals.
2) Research: Our research centre connects universities with the world of entrepreneurship, with the aim of fostering the birth and growth of innovative companies.
3) Job: Cosvitec aims to act as a bridge between offer and demand in the labour market and to help companies and workers match.
Stories from participants
Article written by the volunteers Dominika, Terezia and Nina from Slovakia.
The Planting Sustainability project was incredibly enriching for us. At the beginning, we completed an online training where we familiarized ourselves with the project’s topics through handbooks. As our departure to Naples approached, we started packing our suitcases and moved to the airport in Vienna, from where we flew. Travelling independently for the first time was a new and stressful experience for all of us, but it taught us valuable lessons.
Upon arrival in Naples, our transportation was already waiting for us, and from the very first moment, we had to use English. We were taken to our hotel, where we met the other project participants. We travelled to the lectures by metro and train. Our days went something like this: we woke up in the morning and went to a nearby favourite café where we had reserved breakfasts. Then, we travelled to the organization’s headquarters for lectures that lasted until 2 PM. After that, we had a guide who showed us around Naples, including less-known places that only locals know about.
The lectures were great – we engaged in various activities, processed them theoretically, and thought about how they could work. Additionally, we tried traditional dishes and visited Pompeii. At the end of our stay, we packed our things and returned home with many memories. However, we were not sad about leaving the group because we knew we would meet again for the second part of the project in Holíč, Slovakia.
In Holíč, during the lectures, we processed the activities more practically and created materials for them. We visited two kindergartens – one in Vrádište and the other in Prietržka. We all enjoyed the activities and had fun together with the children. We taught the children about waste sorting, endangered animals, and our planet.
This project gave us many experiences, friendships, skills, and new perspectives. We are grateful and highly recommend participating in such a project to everyone.
This project was supported by the Erasmus+ program.
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