Environmental protection and sustainability shape work of the FGYO
Climate change concerns us all. Already today, children, adolescents and young adults are more affected by the impacts than previous generations. Accordingly, they are dedicated to environmental protection and leading sustainable lifestyles.
The Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) also wants to live up to its responsibility as a mouthpiece for young people’s concerns. We face the greatest mission of our time and devote ourselves increasingly to topics such as environmental responsibility and climate neutrality.
Maintaining mobility, but making it more environmentally friendly
The concept of mobility has shaped the FGYO since its foundation, because intercultural learning is most successful if practised on location. But those who are mobile often also generate CO₂. The FGYO has to strike a balance in this regard. Restrict travel and deprive young people of life experiences? This is not an alternative for the FGYO. Instead, it wants to strengthen climate-conscious mobility and itself serve as a role model, as travel does not necessarily have to be harmful to the climate.
"Mobility and the environment"
Mobility in connection with exchange projects will become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Improved awareness of the impacts of forms of travel that harm the climate is crucial to this effort. Hence, the FGYO seeks to make the most of every opportunity to keep the CO₂ footprint at Franco-German youth encounters low.
With this in mind, the FGYO developed the Dekarbo CO₂ calculator. It can be used to calculate CO₂ emissions generated in connection with youth encounters. Incidentally, the Dekarbo website also provides tips and recommendations of ways in which to plan and implement Franco-German and trilateral exchanges in as environmentally-friendly a manner as possible.
Both in-house and externally, the FGYO wants to promote awareness of environmental protection and climate responsibility while avoiding emissions at the same time. We have set ourselves the aim of significantly improving the CO₂ balance sheet in everyday work and at our own events. To this end, the FGYO is developing its own climate and sustainability strategy. Our aim is to make our contribution towards a liveable future on a healthy planet.
Our projects for climate neutrality and environmental responsibility
The FGYO funds or organises a variety of projects and formats for more sustainability in exchange programmes. We coordinate closely with partners and external stakeholders, taking steps towards environmentally friendly activities and climate-neutral campaigns. The aim is to learn from one another and to pass on what we have experienced. Training courses, educational material and low-threshold offers permit an uncomplicated knowledge transfer.
Here is an excerpt of our exchange projects for greater environmental engagement on the part of young people:
- The deutsch-französische Kinderkiste for children between the ages of 3 and 6 heightens environmental awareness in everyday life in extensive ways and uses resource-saving and simple campaigns to demonstrate how even the youngest can go from wanting to acting.
"A Franco-German guideline and a call for projects"
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With ‘Die ökologische Transformation in interkulturellen Jugendbegegnungen’, the Franco-German guideline on the ecological transformation in intercultural youth encounters, the FGYO helps organisations and partners implement exchange projects in environmentally friendly ways that protect the climate.
The guideline is the result of a collaboration between two environmental organisations: Naturfreundejugend Deutschlands und La Ligue de l’enseignement from France. It is intended to help organisations and partners plan youth encounters in an environmentally friendly manner and to make them educationally sustainable.
- The ‘Der Planet in deinen Händen’ call for projects supports projects that deal with climate change, environmental protection or sustainable lifestyles. These might be Franco-German or trilateral encounters.
"‘Éco-Aktion’, ‘Wann beginnt die Revolution?’ and Mobidico"
- The ‘Éco-Aktion – Gemeinsam verbessern wir unsere Umwelt!’ competition encourages daycare centres and school classes in Germany and France to work together to develop sustainable projects. The groups from both countries first conduct their own campaign, followed by the project of the children and adolescents from the neighbouring country.
- The FGYO Junior Ambassadors’ podcast, entitled ‘Wann beginnt die Revolution?’, explores topics in sustainability and gives young people ideas of what they can do to promote biodiversity and environmental protection. The speakers include French activist, director and author Cyril Dion, among others.
- The FGYO also works with a variety of digital tools and is currently designing an impact game to raise young people’s awareness of the impact of their own actions on the environment. In addition, the Mobidico language app will be supplemented with the addition of relevant topics.
