COGREENEU: European cooperation against climate change

Program
COGREENEU: [CERV-2022-CITIZENS-CIV]

Main Topic
COGREENEU: European Cooperation Against Climate Change

Project number
101081257

Project Summary

COGREENEU aims to give voice and encourage debate among young citizens, who are particularly affected by the current global crisis and seek their own space to participate in society. The project will serve to mobilize young people and guide them towards greater citizen participation in the future of Europe and the sustainability of local communities. The youth sector as involved citizens will be the main target group of this project to create a climate change aware society that understands the activities planned by the EU in terms of addressing climate change and promoting the rights and ideas of all its citizens.

• Introduces youth to today's environmental issues and how they directly affect their lives,
• Presentation of the European Green Deal as one of the means to solve this problem,
• Motivate and train young people to be key players in spreading the message about the importance of preserving the environment and facing climate change.

Project implementation

COGREENEU will be a network of European organisations, with headquarters in 7 different locations, which will work for 24 months in the exchange of experiences, in deep debate, in reflection and in raising awareness among local European communities and their young people, on the commitment by the European Green Deal as a response to the current social and economic crisis caused by climate change.

COGREENEU Objectives

• Design and implement new local policies that will be supported and promoted by young people,
• Raise awareness and sensitize the young population about the European Green Deal and its role in the ecological transition of the EU,
• Increase the civic responsibility of intergenerational citizens and their participation in issues related to the sustainable development of their cities,
• Promote the exchange of experiences and joint learning between the different participants from the different European cities, in order to formulate local strategies and actions on the European Green Deal and the ecological transition,
• Contribute to the dissemination and dissemination of European policies on the environment at the local level, with special emphasis on youth.

An Inspiring Start: The Kick-Off-Meeting of the EU-funded COGREENEU project under the CERV Programme is held in Alcoi, Spain

Main objectives

Last June 2023, the first event of the COGREENEU project, funded by the European Union under the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme's call for the promotion of citizen participation, took place. This event marked an exciting starting point for an initiative to address the challenges of climate change and sustainability in Europe.

This first event, under the name ' Multicultural workshop about European Green Deal and sustainability in Europe ', took place in Alcoi, Spain, and was the central activity of the international meeting of the partners of the COGREENEU project held in the lead country of this consortium formed by entities from 6 different countries: Cyprus, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Lithuania and the hosts. As mentioned above, the event was organised by the consortium leader, ASEID, and its main objective was to promote multicultural inclusion and raise awareness of the European Green Pact and sustainability in Europe.

The specific objectives of the event were as follows:

1. Promote Civic Participation and Social Inclusion: The event sought to raise awareness of the importance of civic participation and social inclusion in Europe, especially in the context of the European Green Pact.
2. Raise Awareness of the European Green Pact: Activities and discussions were held to raise awareness of the European Green Pact, the Global Agenda 2030 and other international strategies related to sustainability.

Outstanding Achievements

The event attracted a total of 77 participants from 7 different countries, highlighting the cultural diversity and intergenerational dynamics present. During the morning, an open debate was held with university experts and decision-makers on civic participation and social inclusion in the current situation in Europe. This debate, which took place in the Auditorium of the Cervantes Youth Centre, was attended by representatives of the Alcoi City Council and young people from the city.

The event started with a warm welcome by Inma Sancho, Local Development Agent of the Mancomunitat de l'Alcoià i el Comtat, and Francisco Expósito, president of ASEID and representative of the Alcoi Chamber of Commerce. This was followed by a panel of experts that included a detailed explanation of Alcoi's local strategy in relation to the green transition. The successful experience of the "Alcoi BioUP" project, which focuses on the green renaturation of parks, public spaces and dry rivers in the urban area of Alcoi, was shared.

In addition, an open debate was held on the 2030 Agenda, in which experts from the Chair of Equality and Agenda 2030 of the UNED (National University of Distance Education) participated and discussed European and global green strategies, as well as their adaptation to local environments.

In the afternoon, a multicultural workshop was organised at the Urban Gardens of Alcoi, which also represent an ecological initiative of the City Council of Alcoi. Participants had the opportunity to visit this space and learn about its contribution to the revitalisation of urban environments, the promotion of ecological transition and social inclusion and civic participation.

During the workshop, the experts who participated in the morning debate led working groups on three themes: Agenda 2030, Green Deal and Sustainable Mobility, and Green Deal and Inclusive Transition. Active participation of participants was encouraged, who from a local perspective generated ideas and projects to address the challenges identified.

This first event of the COGREENEU project was an important step towards achieving its objectives and a sign of the European Union's commitment to fighting climate change and promoting sustainability.

WP1 Diffusion Sources:

• Link 1
• Link 2
• Link 3
• Link 4