Key Project Details
"Switch to Action" took place between 11 and 20 March 2023 in Bagaciu, Mureș County, Romania.
It brought together 50 participants (including 40 young participants and 10 group leaders) from Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Lithuania.
The project was coordinated by Asociatia Cloud Five (Romania) in partnership with:
Youth Entrepreneurship Club (Greece)
VsI "uMunthu" (Lithuania)
WalkTogether (Bulgaria)
Each partner contributed expertise in environmental education, youth engagement, digital tools, and project dissemination, ensuring the strong success and lasting impact of the project.
Objectives and Activities
The project had three main objectives:
To foster a sense of active citizenship among 40 young participants from Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Lithuania, through practical environmental protection activities.
To improve participants' knowledge and skills regarding effective ways to live eco-friendly lives.
To strengthen the capacity of the partner organisations to engage in environmental projects at the European level.
The core activity of the project was a 10-day youth exchange hosted in Bagaciu, Romania. It combined non-formal education methods such as experiential learning, structured dialogue, creative workshops, and brainstorming sessions.
The program unfolded in three main phases:
Initial Phase (Days 1–3): Team-building, setting group norms, introducing Erasmus+ and YouthPass, and ensuring participants' safety and comfort.
Middle Phase (Days 4–8): Focused on environmental education, selective recycling workshops, resource-saving practices, daily eco-friendly habits, and myth-busting sessions on ecology.
Final Phase (Days 9–10): Evaluation of the experience, planning for dissemination events, and the creation of a project platform.
Additionally, participants organized an environmental action in the surrounding hills of Bagaciu, emphasizing the project’s ecological mission.
All activities were inclusive, gender-balanced, and accessible, with 20 out of the 50 participants coming from fewer opportunities backgrounds.
Why the Project Was Implemented
"Switch to Action" was created to respond to the urgent need for stronger environmental awareness and sustainable behavior among young Europeans. In recent years, the world has faced serious environmental challenges, including the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and the increasing visible effects of climate change.
Young people, especially those involved in partner organisations, showed a growing interest in environmental issues but often lacked practical knowledge on how to contribute meaningfully. This project aimed to bridge that gap by educating and empowering them to adopt eco-friendly habits and attitudes. By providing tools, knowledge, and real-world examples, "Switch to Action" sought to inspire a generation ready to live harmoniously with nature and take active responsibility for protecting the environment.
