Organising the Youth Green Festival in Ukraine
One of our new environmental youth education projects is UzhGreenFest, focusing on a Youth Green Festival in Uzhhorod, Ukraine. We are implementing this project jointly with partners, both youth and professionals.
Project progress
The project UzGreenFest aims at facilitating youth eco-habits creation, as well as stimulating youngsters to spend their time more frequently in the outdoors. This will be done by organising the Youth Green Festival in Uzhhorod in 2020.
Throughout the first three months of project implementation, the partners have already done the following activities:
- conducted three partner meetings;
- organised multiple meetings with local authorities and stakeholders, also in the outdoor park;
- made the ‘Respect Nature‘ principles available in Ukrainian and printed 500 copies on A2 poster format;
- launched the public survey regarding concerns and solutions for improvement of the environmental situation in Uzhhorod;
- established cooperation with local environmental communities and initiatives, volunteers of US Peace Corps in Ukraine and an eco-friendly small business;
- supported the Ukrainian Youth Wilderness Group to improve their project management skills;
- promoted the project on local television and in the majority of schools in Uzhhorod, and
- submitted a draft version of the “Youth Green Manifest” to the local authorities.
Identifying environmental challenges
During the initial phase of the project UzhGreenFest, the partners conducted a survey amongst more than 60 eco-friendly youngsters in Uzhhorod. The main environmental challenges in Uzhhorod that were identified, based on the response, are:
- insufficient level of environmental education in schools;
- lack of proper waste management and waste separation;
- absence of bicycle infrastructure, as an alternative way for eco-friendly transport;
- lack of city green zones and trees cutting regulations.
Consequently, the partners address these challenges in the Youth Green Manifest, drafted for the local authorities. Additionally, it includes suggestions on how to improve the situation, while including youth.
This is very a informative document! And I fully support the statements of Youth Green Manifest!
How to enjoy the outdoors
One of the tools to enhance environmental education is the Respect Nature concept. This concept aims to raise awareness on how to enjoy the outdoors and at the same time minimise your impact on nature. This is summarised in the following nine principles:
- Know where you go
- Stay on trails
- Minimise camping impact
- Keep nature clean
- Make fire responsibly
- Show respect
- Respect wildlife
- Respect others
- and Respect livestock protection
These simple and clear principles, can support our efforts to save our environment.
Project prolongation and alternative solutions
Due to the current restrictions, caused by Corona virus, the partners have postponed the conduction of the UzhGreen Festival to the end of April for the time being. Yet, during the project implementation it becomes clear that such projects are very much welcomed by the environment friendly and active youth!
The partners are looking forward to the UzhGreenFest and its youth participants. There will also be a ceremony with interesting prizes to support the development of eco-friendy habits of youngsters. Stay tuned for more updates and details!
You can order the Ukrainian Respect Nature, A2 posters format, free of charge from us! Also, you can download the posters as a PDF:
Thanks you! And keep on respecting nature 😉
Dear Vitek, you can find an English leaflet here: https://wilderness-society.org/new-publication-respect-nature-flyer/. I see you already had a good coversation with Hanna, my colleague, regarding translation. Will keep you updated! Let´s get wild!
good doneGreetings, appreciation and respect for all…
thanks.
Looking forward, Hana 😉 Greetings from Czechia, Wilderness Advocate Ondra Vitek 🙂
Dear Mazanov,
Thank you for your very kind offer. The poster will be soon made publicly available and we will contact you directly regarding the translation!
Yes, Czech. But following your link I found only the 9 principles and no leaflet… Never mind, let me know if you want the translation 😉
Dear friend, thank you for your interest and proposal of translation to Czech, I assume?
As for now, in Engish we have available a leaflet “Respect Nature”: https://wilderness-society.org/european-wilderness-definition/respect-nature-information/ and will keep you updated!
Is the Respect Nature poster available in English or other languages? Is it possible to help with translations?