The environmental project “Know your grassroots” was held in Kilkenny, Ireland from April 1-7. The project was organized by Youth and Environment Europe (YEE) and brought together 23 youngsters from 11 countries to discuss and exchange knowledge on grassroots and especially environmental grassroots movements.
Karen Vardanyan, a member of the Federation of Youth Clubs of Armenia (FYCA), presented Armenia and the organization in the project.
The objectives of the seminar were the following: - Discuss the environmental problems that the world faces - Provide information on environmental grassroots movements - Learn how to start/lead a movement - Emphasis on the role of youth-run environmental organizations in making changes - Inspire youngsters to work towards change - Provide practical knowledge to achieve the desired successful results
The last stage of the seminar became prominent with the realization of a local environmental movement. It was aimed at supporting the local initiative called “Keep Kilkenny Beautiful!”.
The participants split into teams: one team was responsible for raising awareness about the action among citizens and giving them an opportunity to join and contribute to the movement, and the remaining two teams were responsible for cleaning the river.
Eventually, the participants succeeded and, to their surprise, a lot of people joined the movement. This action was a great opportunity for the participants to put their knowledge into practice and achieve prominent results.
The project is followed by ongoing webinars where participants strengthen their knowledge and discuss local movements that they are accomplishing.