As part of the Planet4B project, Youth4Biodiversity brought together ten young people in the Leutratal natural reserve in Jena for a weekend focused on biodiversity awareness. This experience was also inspired by our participation in the Inside Out project in Iceland, which explored outdoor education as a tool for integrating young people, particularly migrants, into their communities through connection with nature. The Youth4Biodiversity weekend was our opportunity to pilot several of these methods, adapting them for our unique environmental goals.
A Closer Look at the Methods Tested
Living in Community and Resourcefulness: Emulating our Iceland experience, we cohabitated in a single dorm, learning to share responsibilities and handle limited resources—like boiling water for drinking. This setup emphasized teamwork, adaptability, and a connection to our immediate environment, pushing us to rely on our planning and problem-solving skills.
Outdoor Cooking and Mindful Eating: Preparing vegetarian meals together encouraged awareness of sustainable practices, resource use, and plant-based options—a small but significant step toward reducing our ecological footprint. We also put into practice our fire-making skills to set our outdoor cooking station.
Hiking for Environmental Observation: Our group took a guided hike through the reserve, where we explored the delicate balance between natural beauty and human impact. This method allowed participants to see biodiversity firsthand and understand how environmental footprints impact natural spaces.
Mindfulness Meditation in Nature: We led a meditation session to help participants connect deeply with the forest’s tranquility, fostering mental clarity and ecological empathy. This helped everyone feel more grounded and attuned to the natural setting.
Outdoor Cinema and Environmental Education: We set up a screen among the trees and watched a documentary on Congo’s mountain gorillas. This interactive learning session encouraged participants to think globally about conservation while fostering a sense of wonder and engagement with wildlife.
Teambuilding Activities with Ecological Themes: Rope games and a scavenger hunt encouraged teamwork, strategic thinking, and bonding with the area. By connecting traditional teambuilding activities to environmental themes, we fostered group cohesion and a heightened sense of ecological stewardship.
Our Approach to Urban Youth Engagement
The Inside Out training course in Iceland was pivotal in shaping this intervention. Inside Out demonstrated how outdoor education could facilitate the inclusion and engagement of youth in NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) situations. Drawing from these experiences, and following the lead of the Learning Community from Planet4B project, Youth4Biodiversity became a “package intervention” that tested nature-centered education, meditation, and experiential learning in hopes of inspiring urban youth to engage with biodiversity and conservation issues.
The result? A resounding success, with participants expressing a sense of accomplishment, community, and a renewed connection to nature. Youth4Biodiversity showed how young people could be meaningfully introduced to biodiversity awareness through outdoor education and shared experiences in nature.
Inside Out project (P.Nº: 2023-1-IS01-KA210-YOU-000160096) is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ program. Planet4B project (P.Nº 101082212) is funded by Horizon Europe.