GoodPlanet Belgium is creating a second child-friendly forest (Belgium)

A  few years ago, GoodPlanet Belgium embarked on an adventure of creating a forest where children can explore, play, learn, discover and experience. The forest houses  a variety of ‘nests’ - bubbles or spaces where they can play, make music, express their theatrical talents, dream. Shortly, being outside, connected with nature and biodiversity. Their goal? Create unique places where children can be themselves, and truly interact with nature. Biodiversity comes to live in a fun and comprehensive way for even the very young. GoodPlanet is happy to create a second forest in Brussel, opening in March 2023.

UNLIMITED OUTDOORS: Accessibility of parks and nature reserves for all (Belgium)

With a group of partners, GoodPlanet Belgium is working to improve the accessibility of parks and nature reserves for people with a disability.

To do so, the group visited 15 parks and nature reserves with the help of people with a disability. They advised the group on the adjustments to be made on paths, rest areas, information boards or signposts, for example. Thanks to these visits, the group is developing different tools that will soon be available to help green spaces become more accessible.
Because an outing in nature should be possible for everyone!  

Partners: Toerisme Vlaanderen, Cera Coop, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie and  Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos . 

Slovak young reporters were visited by the president at the biggest festival in NGO zone (Slovakia)

Young reporters for the environment from Slovakia were experiencing after a long time Pohoda festival, the biggest music festival in Slovakia, as volunteers together! It’s one of the largest festivals in Central Europe and reporters took here place in the NGO passage where they were presenting YRE’s main message with a photo exhibition on the topic of climate change from the international competition. Pictures were interesting not only for grownups but also for children. People were crossing and stopping by reporters who were talking about environmental education, journalism, and the importance of media literacy. In the end, visitors could vote for their favourite photo in our mini photo survey. Everyone was very friendly and talkative including the president of the Slovak republic Zuzana Čaputová, who was going through the NGO passage too and didn’t miss our booth. She greets all reporters, wishes them much strength in their work, and is very happy with the latest international results. Thank you, Pohoda!

YRE students get involved in projects in their communities through partnership with the city (South Africa)

The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) is implementing a YRE project in partnership with the City of Cape Town. This partnership has seen 60 vibrant young reporters from 5 high schools in Cape Town capacitated to identify action-centred projects. On 27 July 2022, these young reporters were part of the Climate Advocacy and Diplomacy Workshop held at the Cape Town City Hall. At the workshop, WESSA facilitators took the young reporters through the tools and techniques to incorporate advocacy to their YRE framework and action projects and how to foster youth participation in advocating for the climate emergency. The young reporters, through the YRE framework, dissected several environmental and social challenges plaquing their local communities including Human Waste Management, Informal Settlements, Coal-Powered Energy and Unhealthy Oceans amongst other challenges.

The workshop was graced by the presence of City of Cape Town Deputy Mayor, Alderman Eddie Andrews. The Deputy Mayor spoke passionately about the importance of youth involvement in becoming solution-drivers in their communities and that the YRE programme not only elevates youth voices, but it also gives youth an opportunity to play an important role in their communities.

The programme will culminate with a showcasing event where the young reporters will showcase their projects in November at the Youth Parliament in Cape Town.  

Virtual Debate Contest: Today’s students, tomorrow’s active citizens (Greece)

60 students from 12 secondary schools participated in the Debate Contest, conducted by the Young reporters for the Environment Programme in Greece, coordinated by the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature.

The aim was to empower students to form speeches providing arguments, develop communication and listening skills, to cultivate rational thinking, towards sustainable development. The Debate Contest was held in three phases, and participants were divided in two age groups (11-14 y.o & 15-18 y.o.).

Students had the opportunity to research and study biodiversity and climate change related issues extensively, during the previous months. Representative of the Ministry of Education highlighted the importance of the debate contests to promote democracy through education and wished good luck to the participants. The audience was amazed by the performance of the students. Participants received certificates and winners were awarded with gift cards from a local bookshop. They were also invited in the Ceremony of the 70 years Anniversary of HSPN, where they had the opportunity to meet and discuss with the President of the Hellenic Republic and various representatives from the environmental movement in Greece.

YRE activities in Greece

YRE Students from the High School of Doukas in Athens, took interviews from the NOs who participated in the LEAF NOM that held on April 2018 in Greece. The interviews had to do mostly with forests and their impact on climate change, how we can educate students to respect forests, how to increase green areas in cities and many other interested issues.

Students from the 13th Primary School of Serres made a campaign video about forests and climate change. The film was made during the UNESCO project on climate change. During a three-day workshop in nature, they made the film” Paperland”, which shows that we do not need to take extreme measures to save the planet. Any small and individual act that we adopt in our everyday life can make a difference. This video was awarded with the 1st prize in the “video category, 11-14 years old” at the YRE International Competition 2018.

Students from High School of Gavrion participated in a collective campaign action on the North beach of Ateni in Andros island, which hosts whatever sea currents bring. The result of the action was a ton of inappropriate materials to be collected, which, after being turned into an art masterpiece, a giant Octopus, they were appropriately disposed off. The campaign was organized and coordinated by two NGO associations “My Blue Ocean” and “Andros Routes”. The harmoniously effective cooperation among volunteers moved as a strong punch that fought the enemy, the enemy being not the rubbish but the mentality concerning it. A communal picnic wrapped the day up in glorious smiles!

Screening of 'Point of no Return' in Czech Republic

On Friday 16th November 2018, Year 5, 6 and 7 pupils (ca 80 participants) from the Prague British International School were treated to a private screening of the film 'Point of No Return' with the filmmakers Quinn Kanaly and Noel Dockstader.

The children and staff thoroughly enjoyed the thought-provoking film which generated many interesting questions during the discussion time at the end. The theme of the film fits very well with school curriculum and increasing focus of school on sustainability. Teachers and students will be continuing to talk about the film and the issues that it raises in the upcoming months.

YRE Slovakia awarded in the competition "Golden Ant”

Center of Environmental Activities (CEA) was awarded for the YRE programme and students´ involvement in reducing waste at the annual waste management competition.

An Honorable Mention for the programme was received by two experienced Young Reporters; Adriana Henčeková and Matej Majerský.

The award ceremony was held on November 21st in Bratislava. The competition Zlatý Mravec (Golden Ant) awards individuals and companies that have achieved significant successes or have come up with extraordinary solutions, achievements, benefits in the waste management of the Slovak Republic.

YRE Slovakia was awarded in the category School Projects:

It is written in the report from the event that "the Young Environmental Reporters project is successfully implemented in the school life of many Slovak primary and secondary schools” and that “it combines environmental and media education objectives in schools, and at the same time its participants and their numerous audiences teach the community to look critically around themselves, to identify local environmental issues, to inform them and to propose possible solutions.”

Link to source.

YRE workshop in Northern Ireland: Gary The Crisp

St Dominic’s High School prepared this video during one of Eco-Schools Northern Ireland workshops for YRE in collaboration with BBC. This video was just a trial for them to learn how to create a video reportage in preparation for their YRE entry in the next year.

St Dominic’s High School has been an Eco-School in Northern Ireland for 4 years, and the impact that Eco-Schools and YRE programmes have had on these students across the time is showed as positive change in people’s attitude towards environmental issues. The story of Gary the crisp packet is definitely a strong message about positive behaviour change.

14th Local Conference of Youth India (LCOY 14)

As of 2015, several national and regional youth movements started organising local COYs (LCOYs) under the aegis of YOUNGO and UNFCCC. These LCOYs serve the purpose of encouraging young people to become a part of the climate action movement and giving them a platform to share their voices, concerns and recommendations with youth and international delegates at global COY and UNFCCC’s COP.

Centre for Environment Education (CEE) has been organising LCOY-India since 2015 with participants from South Asian countries including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka; gaining recognition from YOUNGO and UNFCCC and inspiring smaller youth movements. LCOY India aims at enhancing the youth's understanding on climate change and sustainable development, empowering them to contribute towards climate action locally, nationally and internationally. The key outcomes of the discussions from LCOY India are submitted and incorporated into the outcome document for global COY and critically discussed with UNFCCC’s ACE (Action for Climate Empowerment) secretariat. The main objective is to create a platform for youth for the exchange of experience and knowledge on climate action and shape them into becoming youth climate champions and campaigners.

For more information, follow the LCOY 14 India on Facebook.

The above video was made by YRE students from India attending the conference.

YRE workshop in Slovakia: Focus on the SDGs

The YRE Slovakia workshop, held in Trenčín October 2018, was marked by the 17 goals of AGENDA 2030. It was a great success: lots of participants, new schools, new posters and postcards with SDGs, practical photo-workshop for students in the streets of Trenčín, and finally a motivation speech inviting young people to become a driving force for a sustainable future.

To help schools work better with the goals, brand new visuals have been distributed – two different posters for teachers, and a postcard for reporters. One poster (one side of the postcard) represents photographs on SDGs from the summer YRE workshop in Smižany. The second poster (back side of the postcard) shows the individual goals.

In the second part of the workshop, the group split in two parts. Young reporters had a practical workshop on street photography, focused on the goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. Teachers have been introduced to SDGs lesson plans elaborated by the international YRE office.

In the final part of the workshop, young environmental activist Tadeáš Žďárský presented a student initiative called Sustainable Palacký. The reporters were enthusiastic to hear about the practical activities for sustainability carried out by students at the Palacký University in Olomouc. For example, the "Refill your bottle" label for shops indicating that customers are welcome to use tap water for free.

Finally, we would like to thank our 19-year-old reporter, Matej Majerský, who has become a great helper in the program: he produced a short promo video about the program, created posters and cards Agenda 2030 and led a photo-workshop for reporters. Together with Adriana Henčeková, multiple winner in YRE competition, they are our ambassadors of the YRE program in Slovakia.

YRE Ghana at African SDGs Youth Summit

From 7th to 9th November, YRE Ghana participated at the second pan African SDGs Youth Summit held in Accra. This year’s theme was “Moving from Policy to Action”, and convened more than 1400 participants from 46 Countries across Africa and beyond. The African continent has the youngest population in the world, and it is crucial to involve the youth to prepare for the future. The Ghanaian Government recognizes this by supporting the event.

YRE Ghana are so lucky that three of our board members work for the organization arranging the summit, so we have followed the process of putting the event together up close. There is no doubt that they have also used some of their experience from YRE in communicating from the event, at least on social media, and by highlighting climate change as a topic in the program. A topic that turned out to be a major concern to majority of the participants.

The focus of the African youth SDGs summit is to provide a platform where African youth, civil society, private sector and policy makers can come together to dissect issues and find the way forward in the implementation of the SDGS in Africa. It seeks to harness youth talent and groom the youth to be proactive and innovative, providing safe spaces for them to operate with regards to the SDGs Agenda.

We were there with representatives from two cities. They were tasked to cover the event on social media and to take notes to submit a report that will be published in a national paper. Some of our representatives were also interviewed by the conference broadcaster and national television on their view on the SDGs, the conference and the role of the SDGs. 

Next year we hope to also see YRE representatives from other countries at this amazing event. And we promise to lobby hard to put even more environmental issues on the program for the next event.