Natural brain refresh

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Eurodesk Provincia Vco - Vedogiovane

Organisation:

Eurodesk Provincia Vco - Vedogiovane

Country:

Italy

About organisation:

The local Eurodesk Verbania is active since 18 years and is coordinated by the Vedogiovane social cooperative since over 15 years.During the years of activity of the Eurodesk point, a network of municipalities and local institutions supported the service aiming to introduce local young people from rural areas to gain some first european mobility experiences. This network of municipalities encouraged us, with the support of administrators of small mountain municipalities, who recognized the importance of enhancing Erasmus + exchanges in order to bring even geographically isolated children closer to a European dimension. Furthermore, mobility abroad allows us to network young people from different municipalities in our province, who, traveling together to a common European destination, overcome the small but large logistical problems that still create a barrier between them even to the simple sharing local projects.Websitehttps://eurodeskvco.weebly.comsocial media: Istagram Eurod

Title of the project

Natural brain refresh

Start date:

30/12/2021

End date:

29/12/2022

Objectives:

The project developed activities in nature toward the inclusion of vulnerable youth through outdoor education, as a strategy for new actions to support safe chances for well being and socialisation in pandemic or post pandemic situation.The project took place in Verbania, Piedmont region, Italy, a rural area very rich in natural resources and landscapes and developed a wide set of actions aimed to promote different approaches towards a better use of outdoor education for the inclusion of disadvantaged young people. This project was designed to enhance the skills of young people with a background in education and willing to become green agents in the field of environmental education and willing to develop and spread locally innovative methods of outdoor education. This is followed by a critical exploration of issues facing youth outdoor education programs. The project valued creative resources and skills of the local young people passionate about environmental education. It led to the creation and implementation of specific outdoor education programs addressed to disadvantaged young people facing an increased risk of social exclusion in connection with pandemic situation. The project provided young people with personal or family difficulties and facing psychological diseases with an intense and enriching educational process as well as some chances to develop active participation experiences for future actions of non formal education, using the resources of youth work.

Why the project was: empowering young people, adapting to changing realities, or thinking out of the box:

The project valued creative resources and skills of the local young people passionate about environmental education and led to the creation and implementation of specific outdoor education programs addressed to disadvantaged young people facing an increased risk of social exclusion in connection with pandemic situations. The project provides young people with personal or family difficulties and facing psychological diseases with an intense and enriching educational process as well as some chances to develop active participation experiences for future actions of non-formal education, using the resources of youth work in the frame of the outdoor education.

How the project was inclusive:

The European dimension was given by the connection with the local Eurodesk which was supported by the young people and youth leaders in the project to train and upskill their knowledge about environmental and outdoor education skills by joining Erasmus youth exchanges on related topics.

Green aspect:

The project envisaged an integrated system of outdoor and environmental education actions aimed at increasing the opportunities, the spaces as well the skills present in the youth and local stakeholders from the Vco territory to offer increased support to psycho-physical well-being and the social inclusion of disadvantaged young people, by enhancing outdoor education as a resource for overcome the barriers and limits to social aggregation dictated by the pandemic.

How the project has given a European dimension to your event and ensured the visibility and promotion of Eurodesk?

The European dimension was given by the connection with the local Eurodesk which was supported by the young people and youth leaders in the project to train and upskill their knowledge about environmental and outdoor education skills by joining Erasmus youth exchanges on related topics.

Impact:

The project proved to be particularly effective in supporting the young people in our informal group and the young participants towards the acquisition of specific skills necessary for rural youth to successfully respond to the challenges of the future such as greater self-confidence, knowledge on the principles of inclusive and sustainable development, greater resources of creativity, flexibility,openness, increased cooperation skills, perseverance, determination, independent initiative and entrepreneurial spirit. Thanks to the contribution of the project it has grown in young people and local youth workers an increased awareness of having in the local area (very rich in natural and landscape resources),a strategic heritage resource to be valued not only to enhance local tourism but also towards some relevant improvement in the life quality of life of young people generations in the local context. The project itself supported the creation of future prospects for young people living in rural territories qualified as subject to geographical isolation. Impact in terms of numbers can be summarised as follows: 6 stakeholders (including social Consortium ); 12 young people in charge of the territorial social service involved and supported by two reference educators, with weekly meetings of outdoor education, in integration with young people (20 youth participants). 500 young people involved in an online survey on the impacts of pandemic on the psycho-physical well being.