Our project ”Together 4 Our Environment” took place between 25th of January – 6th of February 2016 in the Réunion Island, one of the overseas departments of France. Réunion Island is located in the Indian Ocean, in the Mascarene Archipelago.
“TOGETHER 4 OUR ENVIRONMENT” connects 2 aspects that must be encountered in the educational training of each individual: the active citizenship involvement and the involvement in environmental protection through the selective waste collection process.
HOW? Through an informal framework we understood, acquired and developed skills, abilities and positive attitudes for an active engagement in society and protecting the environment through the selective collection of waste for recycling.
WHY? The main role of this exchange was to wake our interest, to engage ourselves in the social life actions through measures and activities meant to protect the environment. Moreover, this youth exchange aimed to equip the participants with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed both in grasping the opportunities offered by the Erasmus +, as well as in their daily lives. In a substantial extent this exchange influenced cultural perceptions of the participants and their tolerance of cultural diversity.
WHO? The participants interacted and lived together in the same place for 11 days; the experience itself is one that offerred them a new outlook on solidarity and cultural diversity in Europe! We made new friends from different countries and found out more information about the world around us. As already mentioned in the section for aspects of learning, we developed simultaneously all eight essential skills of personal learning, all these in a non-formal way. Our project had a substantial effect on young people with fewer opportunities coming from rural areas, because the information provided and discussion in detail regarding the relationship between active citizenship and environmental protection through selective waste collection offerred them a new vision upon the matter.
Goal
Our goal was to organize a Youth Exchange in Réunion Island, between 25th of January – 6th of February 2016, which got together 46 young people from 6 different countries in order to promote the active citizenship involvement and the involvement in environmental protection through the selective waste collection process..
Locations
The total duration of the project was 11 days on the amazing island of Réunion.
Activities were held in 2 different locations, From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea.
Cilaos is a beautiful little town located centrally on the island, in a caldera of altitude 1241 m. We spent here 6 days of the project, got to know each other, discussed about Environment Protection and admired the beautiful view of the nearby mountains. We had activities which helped the group cohesion and we increased our communication and civic competences and also, cooking skills because we had to cook for the whole group!
La Saline les Bains is a little town located on the West coast of Réunion Island. We spent here the other 5 days of the project and we enjoyed the good weather and nice spirits. Among the discussions we had while we lived here, Environmental Art Exhibition made us create art pieces on the beach. The locals and other tourists were curious about our interest in Environment Protection and we let them know about Erasmus+.
