RDG for SDGs – Reggio Emilia, Dijon and Girona for the Sustainable Development Goals

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E35 Foundation

Organisation:

E35 Foundation

Country:

Italy

About organisation:

E35 Foundation was born in 2015 from a shared project of Reggio Emilia’s local actors with the aim of promoting the international relations and projects of the territory.One of its main fields of activity is that of youth, in particular with regard to projects and initiatives about international mobility and European citizenship that E35 promotes in close collaboration with local institutions, schools and youth associations.This activity includes the participation in the Eurodesk Italy network since 2020, as local Eurodesk Agency promoted by E35 Foundation and the Youth Department of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.

Title of the project

RDG for SDGs – Reggio Emilia, Dijon and Girona for the Sustainable Development Goals

Start date:

1/8/2021

End date:

30/6/2022

Objectives:

RDG for SDGs was coordinated by the Reggio Emilia Eurodesk Agency. The main goal was to create and disseminate a communication and awareness campaign made by and for young people, to contribute to the promotion of the 2030 Agenda within the twin cities of Reggio Emilia, Girona and Dijon, with a focus on 3 topics: green transition, digital transition and fight against inequalities. The project was carried out in 4 phases:1. A Young Editorial Team (YET) made by 15 participants (18-30 y.o) has been established in each city through an open public call2. Each YET has mapped the most relevant local practices and selected 1 for each of the 3 topics3. YET members participated in 4 online workshops held by communication experts (social media, video making, graphics)4. Each YET defined and developed different communication projects (social media campaign, video, podcast, websites) to promote and disseminate at local and international level the best practicesThe participants had the chance to meet locally and internationally, with peers as well as local actors, discussing and exploring relevant issues and experiences related to sustainable development of their territories. The project has fostered an intensive exchange of ideas, good practices and competences that resulted in 9 different communication projects, developed by the young participants, which contributed to raise awareness about the 3 project’s topics among the overall population with a particular attention to youth.

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

The project was conceived as an unconventional youth exchange among the cities of Reggio Emilia, Dijon and Girona, during the pandemic. The activities were developed using smart tools and solutions to bypass the Covid constraints, through a hybrid approach: at local level, the YET and local partners met in person to explore and select the best practices and work on the communication campaign; at international level, participants had the opportunity to share their ideas, discuss and learn new skills by using digital tools such as video calls, webinars, cooperative platforms and online software.Each YET has been supported by a local network of stakeholders in the mapping and selection of the best practices, then they have increased digital and communication skills which have been applied in the definition and development of the communication campaign. Each territory saw the active involvement of local administration, youth associations, schools and local actors holding the good practices identified. Thanks to the digital tools activated by the project, the level of exchange and discussion was extended from the local to the international dimension, allowing the participants to exchange ideas and experiences and collaborate in creative and innovative ways.The 3 Young Editorial Teams continued their activity even after the end of the project, collaborating with their respective municipalities and youth organisations, especially in the field of transnational mobility of youth.

How the project was inclusive:

The project was realised in partnership with two twin cities of Reggio Emilia: Girona and Dijon. Despite the physical distance, participants have been in contact and cooperated for the whole project’s duration, thanks to different digital tools, ensuring a constant exchange of information, ideas and experiences. The involvement of a wide and varied network of local stakeholders, including municipalities and youth associations, has made it possible to give a European relevance to very local practices and experiences, highlighting the fundamental role played by the territories and local communities in implementing the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.Although it was a mostly virtual exchange, the theme of youth mobility was particularly present within the project, thanks to the contribution of the Eurodesk Agency of Reggio Emilia, promoter of the project, but also to the involvement of the youth organisations of the 3 cities, who got to know and collaborate with each other. In particular, thanks to the support of the Eurodesk Agency of Reggio Emilia, the YETs have contributed to develop an application for an Erasmus+ youth exchange. The project proposal was also influenced by another European project focusing on the 2030 Agenda, Global Goals for Cities, promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia within the Urbact Programme: youth organisations from 2 other European cities, Solingen and Gavle, both partners of the Urbact project, will be involved in the Erasmus+ youth exchange.

Green aspect:

The main focus of the project was that of sustainable development, and green transition in particular was one of the topics explored and developed by the YETs. In this sense, a sustainable approach has been ensured throughout the project's duration. Most of the activities took place online, while others have been organised at local level, being reachable by public transportation or by foot/bike, and many sustainable practices have been explored and shared at local and international level.The mapping and analysis of good practices on “green transition” saw the involvement of various stakeholders active in the 3 territories, including the Municipalities of Reggio Emilia, Dijon and Girona. This allowed a direct confrontation with the local administrators, giving the young participants the opportunity to learn more about local policies in favour of the environment and to fight against climate change, but also to make their voice heard on a particularly topical theme. Thanks to a completely innovative and unconventional approach, the YETs were able to acquire data and information from the local bodies responsible for environmental policies, to then process and present them with their own words, defining a communication strategy capable of reaching and speaking to their peers, taking advantage of the communication channels of the local institutions involved.

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

The project was realised in partnership with two twin cities of Reggio Emilia: Girona and Dijon. Despite the physical distance, participants have been in contact and cooperated for the whole project’s duration, thanks to different digital tools, ensuring a constant exchange of information, ideas and experiences. The involvement of a wide and varied network of local stakeholders, including municipalities and youth associations, has made it possible to give a European relevance to very local practices and experiences, highlighting the fundamental role played by the territories and local communities in implementing the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.Although it was a mostly virtual exchange, the theme of youth mobility was particularly present within the project, thanks to the contribution of the Eurodesk Agency of Reggio Emilia, promoter of the project, but also to the involvement of the youth organisations of the 3 cities, who got to know and collaborate with each other. In particular, thanks to the support of the Eurodesk Agency of Reggio Emilia, the YETs have contributed to develop an application for an Erasmus+ youth exchange. The project proposal was also influenced by another European project focusing on the 2030 Agenda, Global Goals for Cities, promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia within the Urbact Programme: youth organisations from 2 other European cities, Solingen and Gavle, both partners of the Urbact project, will be involved in the Erasmus+ youth exchange.

Impact:

The project resulted in an increased knowledge and awareness on the SDGs, thanks to the development of a communication campaign carried out by young people and aimed at the citizens of the 3 cities.During the project, a total of 22 meetings took place, as well as 4 webinars which gave the YETs the opportunity to acquire communication skills; this activity resulted in 9 communication outputs, defined and developed by the participants using different communication languages, techniques and channels: social campaigns, videos, podcasts, websites, infographics, local events, etc.The various contents were disseminated through the partners' web and social channels, media (TV and newspapers) and dedicated events, locally and internationally, reaching around 650,000 people, of which over 350,000 through social media.This dissemination has also made it possible, at the local level, to bring the results of the project and, in particular, the selected good practices, to the attention of over 50 local administrators and about 80 organisations operating in the relevant thematic areas of the 3 territories.Another relevant outcome of the project was the connection it created among the partners and local stakeholders involved. This strong collaboration resulted in the approval of an Erasmus+ youth exchange, which will give the YET members the opportunity to finally meet in person, in Reggio Emilia, in March 2023, to discuss and exchange their ideas on the topic of inclusion and equity.