TC for youth workers and educators "Isn't our planet beautiful" in Romania blog by Heli

I have been in Erasmus world for 10 years. As a project writer, minor and leading partner. In YOU and SCH projects. All of them have taught me how important it is to fill in the gaps in education and provide something special to all participants no matter what is their previous experience, knowledge or skills. That’s why I try to find the best trainings to offer for collaboration network of our NGO Rabarada (translated as “Path in marsh” in English), enabling stay focused on our main objectives: environmental and green entrepreneurship education for all ages. Therefore, training course in Romania held on February 4th to 13th in genuine village settlement and couple of days in circular city Buzau caught my eyes and infopack encouraged me to take part and include also my good colleague, science teacher Eda.

During these days we learned a lot about circular economy principles, about re- and upcycling, applied several group work techniques and pedagogical methods. Apart from the topic, I paid attention to the facilitators’ team dynamics: how to keep time, guide and support groups and enhance collaboration. As very skilled hosts, they worked hard and made our stay there unforgettable and rewarding.

Linear economy has been for many years most used approach in business matters, depleting our natural resources at sky-rocketing pace, promoting endless and reckless consumerism, producing enormous amount of non-degradable waste, polluting water, land and air, and consequently worsening our living environment and threatening biodiversity. Thus, we must stop, reflect on our huge and dirty footprint, brainstorm and find new ways to mitigate and circumvent our inefficiency and destructive behavior in everyday life. There is no golden key available, we have gone too far, but there are plenty of strategies which we need to think about and take bold steps to pivot for sustainable lifestyle. Circular economy is one the options to stop overproduction and overconsumption. But first of all, we need tremendous change in our individual minds, values, habits and behaviors. I believe that mental changes need strong support from like-minded, optimistic and well-educated people, therefore, transnational training sessions have unique and great potential to gather people who can learn from each other, come up with new ideas and solutions, disseminate them and have impact on young people in formal or nonformal education, and to be true influencers our planet needs so much.

I am very grateful for all these people gathered there to share their stories, thoughts and skills. We had really good time in beautiful nature, we worked and laughed, we discussed and learned about different languages, cultures and traditions, and I strongly believe we became more open-minded and better advocates for greener future.

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