Project Summary
Objectives
The project “Green Horizons: Youth for Inclusion, Climate Action, and Digital Empowerment” seeks to empower young people, particularly those with fewer opportunities, to develop the competences, confidence, and solidarity needed to actively participate in shaping a more inclusive, sustainable, and digitally equitable future. Project Objectives and Aims from the Perspective of Youth Work Practice.

The main goal is to create a transformative and inclusive learning environment where young people from Portugal, Austria, and Lithuania can explore, understand, and act upon three interconnected challenges affecting their generation: social exclusion, climate change, and digital inequality.

From the perspective of youth work practice, this project is rooted in the values and principles of non-formal education, youth participation, and inclusion. It aims to:
Promote social inclusion and equity by giving young people from marginalized backgrounds the chance to engage in high-quality international learning opportunities.
Empower youth to become climate-aware citizens who understand environmental challenges and are motivated to take collective action for sustainability.
Bridge the digital divide by equipping participants with essential digital competences, enabling them to express themselves, connect with others, and advocate for change.
Foster intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, and European identity through meaningful interaction between young people of different cultural, social, and geographic backgrounds.
Support personal growth, well-being, and active citizenship through experiential learning and guided self-reflection using tools such as Youthpass.

The project takes a youth-centered approach, meaning that young people are not passive beneficiaries but co-creators and leaders throughout the entire process from planning and preparation to implementation and follow-up. This includes co-designing activities, facilitating sessions, documenting learning outcomes, and leading dissemination efforts.

Specific Objectives of the Project:
To raise awareness among young people of the links between social exclusion, environmental injustice, and digital disparities, encouraging them to reflect critically on these issues in their communities.
To develop key competences, including social and civic awareness, cultural awareness, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship, especially among youth with fewer opportunities.
To foster intercultural exchange and cooperation, helping participants strengthen their sense of belonging to a diverse and inclusive Europe.
To increase the participation of young people in community life, empowering them to act as changemakers in local and European contexts.
To build the capacity of youth workers and organizations to design and deliver inclusive, climate-conscious, and digitally engaged youth work practices.

Youth Work Methods and Practice in Action
The project will apply a wide range of non-formal education methods, which are essential to youth work practice. These include:
Interactive workshops
Team-building activities
Role plays and simulations
Outdoor and experiential learning
Digital storytelling and media creation
Intercultural evenings
Group reflection and learning diaries

These methods are chosen to respect different learning styles, promote inclusion, and foster self-directed learning. Participants will be encouraged to set personal learning goals, engage in daily reflections, and receive a Youthpass certificate to validate their competences.

Group leaders and youth workers will play a key mentoring role, providing individual and group support, facilitating learning processes, and ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants. Their involvement reinforces youth-adult partnerships and ensures that the project contributes to quality youth work practice at local and transnational levels.

Long-Term Vision and Impact
By the end of the project, participants will:
Be more confident, informed, and capable of engaging in inclusive and sustainable civic actions.
Have created peer-led outputs such as the “Eco-Inclusion Toolkit,” which will serve as a resource for youth in other communities.
Become ambassadors of inclusion, sustainability, and digital empowerment within their own networks.

At the same time, the project will strengthen the capacity of youth organizations involved, enhancing their ability to design and implement future Erasmus+ projects that are aligned with the EU Youth Strategy and the priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme: inclusion and diversity, environmental sustainability, digital transformation, and youth participation.

https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2025-3-PT02-KA152-YOU-000374484