When joining an Erasmus+ project, sometimes you can guess how much you will learn. But in some projects, the real gain comes not only from the topics written in the program, but from what people working in the same field contribute to one another.

GreenScape: Youth Workers Navigating Nature was exactly that kind of experience for me. The most special part of the project was that all participants were youth workers. Everyone had experience working with young people, methods from their own organization and ideas to share.

That is why the activities we carried out did not remain only as training sessions; they constantly brought the question, “How can I use this in my own work?”

Coming together with people working in the same field

In the first days of the project, we started by getting to know one another. Through name games, activities where we talked about our expectations and fears, and a poster activity where we introduced our organizations, we quickly gained an idea about one another’s fields of work.

The organization posters were especially useful for me. Each country presented its organization, target group and activities. Then the posters were displayed, and other participants wrote their questions on post-its and placed them on the relevant posters.

This small activity actually served a much bigger purpose. While getting to know one another’s work, we also took the first steps toward possible future international collaborations.

Another way to create ideas

One of the most inspiring parts of the project for me was the session on tools we could use to involve young people in different activities. Here, we started generating ideas with the Walt Disney method.

In short periods of time, we wrote down all the ideas that came to mind. Then we repeated the same process for a few more rounds by trying to produce different ideas. Although the method seemed quite simple at first, it helped us generate many ideas in a short time.

What mattered to me was not only the ideas that emerged. As a youth worker, you sometimes realize that you use the same methods again and again. Seeing the methods of people from different countries can make you ask, “Why have I not tried this before?”

From idea to real activity

One of the best parts of the project was that we did not leave ideas only on paper. We started preparing days in advance for the nature activity we would carry out with local children on the fifth day.

Three different routes were created, and teams designed activities for children on these routes. Our task was not only to take children on a walk. We had to think of activities that would keep them interacting with nature, encourage movement and raise environmental awareness at the same time.

Many ideas emerged during this process. The two most meaningful ones for me were Road Bingo and the nature bracelet.

Seeing an idea come to life in children’s hands

When the fifth day finally arrived, we had the chance to apply all the ideas we had prepared in theory. We started walking with around 30 children.

First, we played introduction and bonding games. Then we gave the children the Road Bingo cards we had prepared. The aim was simple: to help children look more carefully at their surroundings while walking.

While they tried to find certain things in nature, we actually encouraged them to observe their environment. Later, in the forest area, we carried out the nature bracelet activity. Children added flowers and different natural materials they found around them to the tape on their wrists and created their own bracelets.

While carrying out our activities, we also collected trash in the area. During the walk, which lasted about two hours, we spent time with children and experienced nature together.

A different way of learning in nature

In the final part of the route, we created a practical water filtration mechanism with the children. This activity was important to me because instead of only explaining something to children, we involved them directly in the process.

I think one of the strongest aspects of youth work appears exactly here: giving someone the opportunity to experience information rather than only explaining it. The children’s curiosity, questions and hands-on production made the activities much more meaningful.

Many different experiences at the end of one day

After the activities with children, the day was not over yet. We tasted local food in an area prepared by the local team. Then we moved to the activity area where different workshops and game areas were set up.

At the end of the day, as Erasmus+ participants, we played in a volleyball tournament against the local team. After the final match against the local team, we finished the tournament in second place.

At the end of a tiring day, we had worked with children, spent time in nature, joined different activities and played sports. That is why the fifth day stayed in my memory as one of the fullest days of the project.

From project to project: Project Factory

One of the most valuable parts of GreenScape for me was the Project Factory session. In this session, participants with similar project ideas came together to develop a new project idea they could apply for in the future.

Together with a participant from Spain, we developed an idea about the integration of Ukrainian migrants into the culture of the region where they live. While we had spent a week talking about nature, youth work and the environment, we suddenly found ourselves developing a new international project idea.

For me, this showed that GreenScape was not limited to completing the current project. It also created ideas that could become starting points for future projects.

Beyond the toolkit

The ideas we developed throughout the week were finally brought together in a toolkit. But for me, the value of the toolkit was not only in the final document.

The real value was in the process of preparing it. I saw the methods used by different youth workers, shared my own experiences and developed new ideas from other people’s ideas.

Some workshops held voluntarily by participants were also inspiring. I believe that some of these practices will continue with me after the project and can be used in my own youth work in the future.

Looking at youth work from another angle in Tauragė

The city visit was not only a touristic trip. In Tauragė, we met with the mayor and talked about the city’s green initiatives. Listening to the methods used to make cities greener made us think about our own cities.

Then we visited the youth center. We took part in different social activities and had the chance to see the Turkish team’s piano talents.

Later in the day, we visited a farm. Spending time with animals, especially the interaction with snakes, was one of the most remarkable moments of the day. Even seeing some participants who were initially afraid of snakes gradually approach them became a small learning experience on its own.

Leaving GreenScape

On the final day, we completed the toolkit, carried out our Youthpass processes and evaluated the dissemination activities we would do after the project.

At the end of the week, what remained with me was not only a training course. I met new people, learned new methods, developed project ideas and saw my own ideas find a place in a real environment.

Perhaps the most valuable part of this project for me was that it motivated me more to not only participate in projects, but also to produce and develop projects myself.

GreenScape gave me more than methods for working with nature. It showed me that a good idea can turn into a real project when it comes together with the right people.