The Restoration Academy: Empowering Youth Participation in Nature Restoration project will finish at the end of the summer. Explore the materials we have developed to support the organization of youth-oriented nature restoration activities, and join our final events taking place in May and June in Finland!
Human activity has significantly altered approximately 75% of the Earth’s surface. In the coming decades, humanity faces a major challenge: to protect and restore nature in order to preserve the planet’s habitability.
Through the Restoration Academy project, youth organizations and workers have gained tools to integrate nature restoration into their activities and to inspire young people to take meaningful action for the environment.
Project Materials
The materials developed within the project support youth environmental action, nature restoration, and nature-based environmental education in youth work:
- Guide for organizing youth nature restoration camps provides concrete support for planning and implementing youth-oriented nature restoration camps and activities.
- Videos explain what nature restoration is and what restoration work can look like in practice when working with young people.
- Webinar recording (in English) offers practical tips on how to engage young people in restoration activities.
- Training model provides a modular framework for facilitating restoration-themed activities, based on the project materials (especially the videos and the guide).
All materials are open-access and available in English, as well as many of them also in the partner countries’ languages (Finnish, Slovak, Dutch, and Greek).
Upcoming events in Finland
In late spring 2026, Restoration Academy will still be featured in two major events focused on environmental education and action in Finland. Both events offer an excellent opportunity to explore the project results in more detail and meet the team!
- The Youth Climate Summit, Helsinki (Saturday, 23rd of May 2026): The Youth Climate Summit brings young people together to strengthen their sense of agency and hope for the future through discussions, workshops, and networking. Restoration Academy will be present with a stand – come meet our team and learn more about our work.
- Ulos-Ut-Out, Tampere (Thursday, 11th of June 2026): Ulos–Ut–Out is Finland’s largest outdoor learning event, bringing together teachers, youth workers, researchers, and students for three days around nature-based learning. Restoration Academy will host a workshop on youth engagement in nature restoration on Thursday 11th of June. Join the workshop to learn practical methods for inspiring and involving young people in restoration activities, or simply come and say hello if you spot us during the event!
The Restoration Academy project has included:
- approximately 80 participants in face-to-face events organized so far (with more to come)
- over 100 participants in restoration camps in Finland, Slovakia, and the Netherlands
- around 140 participants from across Europe in our restoration webinar for the youth sector
- approximately 80 participants in workshops focused on developing the project materials
- around 30 participants in the multiplier network, who use the project materials in their own work and further disseminate them.
More information:
Sanna Lindgren
International Affairs Manager, Youth Academy
sanna.lindgren@nuortenakatemia.fi
+358 40 082 7413
Ville Laitinen
Climate and Baltic Sea Group Coordinator, the Finnish Nature Association
ville.laitinen@luontoliitto.fi
+358 44 700 6113
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.