The Climentines project aims to promote young people’s participation and influencing opportunities in both national and European climate policies. Among other things, the project will create an international network to connect actors from the youth sector interested in climate action.
Based on the Youth Survey 2021 of the European Parliament, lack of interest, lack of trust towards decision-makers, and the experiences of insufficient understanding of the topics under discussion are considered as the biggest reasons behind non-participation of young people in voting age. Additionally, majority of the respondents felt that they have little or no say in important decisions, laws and policies that affect them. Youth activism is kind of strong, but at the same time information, trainings and support to young people and youth organizations on how to participate in decision-making processes is often lacking. Even if there is desire and interest, there can be barriers related to not knowing how and where to participate.
One of the main objectives of the Climentines project, funded by the European Youth Together action under the Erasmus+ program, is to launch an international network to connect youth organizations and young people and to promote information sharing and learning. The project aims to strengthen the skills of youth organizations, youth workers and young people and provide them with both more information and practical tools to promote active citizenship, participatory and deliberative democracy, and climate action.
Youth Academy represents Finland in the partner consortium
Climentines is a cooperation partnership of seven European organizations from six different countries (Finland, Greece, Italy, France, Poland, and Austria). The project starts with mapping the current situations in more detail in partner countries and at the EU level in terms of young people’s inclusion, participation, and climate action. The reports will be later used, for example, to develop a toolbox for youth organizations and workers describing the current situations.
After the launch of the international network, the project will organize opportunities for young people to participate in local level climate action task forces in each of the partner countries. Later, the project will also produce climate action guidebooks for both youth workers and young people. Among other things, these will include hands-on tips on how to make use of principles, methods and operating methods that promote participatory and deliberative democracy at local, national, and European levels. The guidebook for youth workers will also be converted into an educational webinar series.
Youth Academy is the Finnish partner of the project. We are responsible for, for example, marketing the international network in Finland, country-specific mapping, research, and information collecting related to the needs of the project, organizing co-creation workshops for stakeholders in Finland, guiding the youth task forces in Finland, as well as coordinating participants from Finland to two international trainings of the project.
The results of the project will be presented in Brussels in autumn 2025.
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The project was kicked off in the beginning of the year in Athens, Greece, when the project team gathered at the office of the main coordinator, KMOP, for a two-days face-to-face kick-off meeting. After that, the project team soon started working on the first outputs, i.e. mappings of the current situation in project partner countries and the EU level, which will be published soon. The final scoping study based on these will help to create a common understanding of the topic among actors from different backgrounds and it also serves as a base for other upcoming outputs of the project.
Upcoming participation opportunities for actors interested in the project:
- In May 2024, there will be three open co-creation workshops for youth organizations and youth workers from Finland. Participants in these workshops will get to come up with ideas for and evaluate materials of the project.
- The application form to become a member of the international network launched by Climentines will also open soon, stay tuned! Youth task forces will be formed through the network towards the end of the year.
- In January 2025, the project will organize an international training for youth workers in Milan, Italy. Application form for the training will open in autumn.
- In June 2025, the project will organize a youth exchange in Athens, Greece. Application form for the youth exchange will open early next year.
The project also has its own website, where you can find more information about the project and its partners. Detailed information about upcoming events, news and materials produced as part of the project will also be updated to the project website. You can also follow us on Instagram @climentineseu.
More information
Sanna Lindgren
International Affairs Manager
sanna.lindgren@nuortenakatemia.fi
+358 40 082 7413
Partners
KMOP, established in 1977, is the main coordinator for Climentines and one of the oldest civil society organizations in Greece. It offers social support services and implements different kinds of social initiatives. KMOP’s operations are especially based on research and innovative new openings dealing with and shaping key national and international societal issues and policies. The organization is active in seven countries.
ActionAid is an independent international organization working against poverty and injustice and present in up to 71 countries around the world. The Italian office of ActionAid, founded in 1989, is involved in the Climentines project. It has wide experience in and works on several EU-funded projects promoting multi-level governance systems and citizen participation opportunities both at the Italian and European levels.
ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy is an international alliance, registered in France, of local and regional authorities and civil society actors. Through a participative approach, it promotes good governance and the development of resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities. ALDA’s operations extend to more than 50 countries.
Groupe SOS Solidarités is a major non-profit organization in the social and medical-social sector in France. It is also one of the founders of Groupe SOS, a non-profit social and solidarity economy and social entrepreneurship promoter group from France. Groupe SOS includes 750 facilities and services, several non-profit organizations and social enterprises that work to promote the well-being of the most vulnerable people, future generations, and regions. Its operations extend to more than 50 countries.
PROM (Polish Council of Youth Organizations) is a forum for cooperation of and representative for Polish youth organizations. PROM is an advocacy organization that promotes youth participation at different levels of society, informs about youth policy and youth issues, especially in Poland, and represents its member organizations and/or Polish young people at, for example, the European Youth Forum and EU youth conferences.
ÖJAB (Austrian Young Workers Movement) is a non-profit organization from Austria. It maintains and offers housing for students and other young people, institutional and mobile care, and implements many kinds of projects related to, for example, education, integration, refugees, and development cooperation.
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.