In April 2025, the hills of Rispescia provided the perfect setting for a national Training and Cooperation Activity (TCA) dedicated to sustainability in the Erasmus+ Programme. “Greener Erasmus+ – Building a Sustainable Future through Erasmus+” was designed as a strategic learning pathway for youth workers and educators representing organizations already active or newly engaged in European project development.
The training brought together 17 participants with a shared purpose: to rethink how we integrate environmental sustainability into Erasmus+ youth mobilities and to co-create innovative solutions for a greener future. Over the course of five days, participants explored concrete ways to align their work with the EU’s Green Deal, the European Youth Strategy, and the GreenComp – the European sustainability competence framework.
Aims and Objectives
The seminar aimed to strengthen the capacities of organizations working within Erasmus+ to design and implement environmentally sustainable youth mobility projects. Specifically, it focused on:
- Promoting awareness of environmental challenges and the power of non-formal education to encourage responsible behavior among young people.
- Exploring sustainability not as an add-on, but as a core element of project planning—from mobility choices to resource management.
- Encouraging peer exchange and the development of greener practices across the youth work sector.
- Integrating key GreenComp competencies into learning activities and youth-led initiatives.
In parallel, the training aimed to introduce and apply Human-Centered Design (HCD) as a creative framework for developing impactful and sustainable solutions. Participants were guided to develop empathy-driven designs, generate and prototype ideas, and build a mindset oriented towards real-world needs and lasting change.
Methodology
The entire training process was based on a blend of Human-Centered Design and non-formal education principles. This participant-centered approach valued experiential learning, co-creation, and the integration of practical tools into everyday project work.
Key elements of the methodology included:
- Participatory and inclusive facilitation: All activities encouraged active involvement, collaboration, and idea-sharing among participants. Small group work, dynamic exercises, and brainstorming techniques allowed for the integration of diverse perspectives and experiences.
- Interactive Design Thinking Cycle: Participants worked through all phases of the design process—empathy, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing. The emphasis on empathy helped participants stay grounded in the realities of the communities they serve, while iterative testing sharpened the feasibility and relevance of their project ideas.
- Creative tools and techniques: Stakeholder mapping, empathy mapping, Fishbone brainstorming, and Crazy 8s were just a few of the tools used to stimulate innovation. Participants also used canvas models to prototype their sustainable solutions and adapt them for real-world application.
This holistic and systems-thinking approach helped shift the perspective on sustainability from theory to action—highlighting how green values can be fully embedded in Erasmus+ project design, implementation, and evaluation.
Impact
The training concluded with participants feeling more confident, competent, and connected. They left Rispescia with new strategies to reduce the environmental impact of their activities, fresh ideas for engaging youth in climate-related learning, and a toolkit of HCD methods ready to apply in their next Erasmus+ initiatives.
Greener Erasmus+ was more than a seminar—it was a collective investment in shaping youth projects that not only respond to today’s ecological challenges but also cultivate the next generation of responsible, creative changemakers.
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