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From Hurghada: The Mediterranean Youth Foundation Addresses Climate Change! The Mediterranean Youth Foundation, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports, is preparing to launch the second edition of our regional project, the Mediterranean Initiative for Climate, from December 19 to 23, 2024. The importance of the initiative stems from its response to the growing environmental challenges in the Mediterranean region, which accommodate more than 510 million people, and where temperatures are rising 20% faster than the global average, according to United Nations reports. This initiative aims to build capacities, develop environmental policies, and generate knowledge to raise awareness about climate change. It serves as a platform for interaction and cultural exchange among Mediterranean youth to innovate environmental solutions and address shared challenges. Stay tuned for event details and share your expectations with us!

“Ministry of Youth and Sports and Mediterranean Youth Foundation Continue to Address Climate Change” The Mediterranean Youth Foundation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports are continuing the activities of the second edition of the regional project “Mediterranean Initiative for Climate” from December 19 to 23, 2024. The initiative included a variety of sessions, ranging from workshops and listening sessions to research activities and presentations focusing on Gender Lens on Climate Change. These sessions were led by Dr. Yasmeen Aladdin, a gender expert and co-president of the Mediterranean Youth Foundation. The initiative also featured artistic performances by participants that addressed concepts such as loss and damage, mitigation and adaptation, and deep decarbonization, reflecting the initiative’s aim to translate climate action to the grassroots level. The importance of this initiative lies in responding to the increasing environmental challenges in the Mediterranean region, which accommodate more than 510 million people, where temperatures are rising 20% faster than the global average, according to UN Environment reports. Our journey in Hurghada for climate change has come to an end, but our efforts continue. Stay tuned for more updates!

The Mediterranean Youth Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, is organizing the second edition of the regional project, “The Mediterranean Initiative for Climate,” from December 19 to 23, 2024. This initiative aims to build the capacities of representatives of youth organizations and entities, develop environmental policies, and generate knowledge to raise awareness about climate change. It also seeks to explore the regional interaction mechanism between science and policies as recognized by the Barcelona Convention. The initiative includes diverse sessions such as workshops, hearings, research activities, and presentations on the conceptual framework and historical background of climate change, along with key related international agreements. It also featured a knowledge competition on climate and environmental terminology presented by Mr. Youssef Aroog. Additionally, the initiative hosted a session on climate diplomacy and translating climate action to the grassroots level, including mechanisms for negotiation between parties, presented by Mr. Mohamed Ageez, Climate Action Advisor at the Mediterranean Youth Foundation and Managing Partner at TIS Labs. The importance of this initiative lies in responding to the increasing environmental challenges in the Mediterranean region, which accommodate more than 510 million people, where temperatures are rising 20% faster than the global average, according to UN Environment reports. Our activities are still ongoing… Stay tuned! #Youth #peace #Youth4Mediterranean #MYF

Before the next United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference 2022 (UNFCCC, COP 27) that will take place in Egypt in November 2022, the Mediterranean Youth Foundation for Development (MYF,) hosted  in cooperation with the “Oceans Network” through the Erasmus+ student and Alumni Alliance (ESAA EU,) funded by the “European Commission” with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, brought together 55 youth aged 21-35 from the Euro-Mediterranean countries for a 3-day training covering the topic of climate change, in August 2022 in El- Alamein, Egypt.

How It Worked?

The aim of the initiative was to raise awareness about climate change and building the capabilities of youth in the field of climate change. In addition to the training, awareness raising campaigns and contests that have been organized on the same topic, engaging as many youths as possible with the priority topics of the upcoming COP27 (unemployment, The climate crisis, migration, gender inequality) and building the capacities of young men and women to face these challenges.

In a multicultural atmosphere, the Mediterranean Initiative for Climate was launched, with participation of 55 participants from different Mediterranean countries from Spain, Lebanon, Palestine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Egypt which included about 10 workshops and panel discussions with approximately 50 training hours, and addressed a number of main topics of concern to everyone interested in the environment and climate change, namely environmental peace, challenges of the environment in the Mediterranean and mechanisms of mitigation and adaptation.

The workshops also dealt with how to write a policy paper specialized in the environment, and at the end of the program, the participants worked on writing and submitting policy papers, which will be evaluated and reviewed, to be presented to the officials.

How was social media used?

Before the workshops started, the Mediterranean Youth Foundation launched an online awareness campaign to educate the audience about the issue of climate change, the dangers of using plastic, and how they can contribute to reducing the effects of climate change by publishing a set of posters and infographics.

Also, two competitions were launched. The first was a question competition, the winners received a set of prizes, from an opportunity to participate in the workshops to financial prizes and certificates of appreciation, and the second competition was an article competition, where the participants worked on writing articles on the issue of climate change in Arabic and English. A team of professionals assessed them, and the essay competition winners were allowed to participate in the workshops and receive monetary prizes.

Outcomes 

We are at a critical moment in human history. We are facing a dangerous issue that needs individuals, communities, local, regional and global organizations and governments to come together to reduce the effects of climate change. In November 2022, world leaders will gather at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, an important event in our journey to tackle climate change. We came out of the Mediterranean Initiative for Climate with a set of recommendations, which are as follows:

  1. The necessity of activating and accelerating climate policies worldwide and involving youth in a greater way in limiting the effects of climate change.
  2. Climate action cannot be postponed for the next decade, next year, or tomorrow. We all have to take action now.
  3. There is an urgent need to view the environment as an essential human right.
  4. Governments and local, regional, and international organizations need to strengthen the channels of communication between them, and governments should strengthen the channels of participation at the national and international levels in all stages of planning, implementation, evaluation, and monitoring of climate action policies and programs.

In the end, it can be said that this initiative was an excellent opportunity to pave the way for the Climate Summit, as it was necessary to involve a group of young people from all over the world to exchange views, experiences, and cultures, to come up with a set of policies that can be presented to governments to reduce the effects of climate change.

*A Funded Opportunity for Those Interested in Climate Action in Egypt – The Mediterranean Initiative for Climate MIC*.

Are you a climate action activist?
Do you have an idea or a recommendation in the field of climate and you need a financial or technical support?
Are you between 18 and 35 years old?
If your answers are yes, then this is your opportunity to be part of the change.

Apply now for the 4th edition of the Mediterranean Initiative for Climate (MIC) and receive free training and a chance to obtain a financial support up to 500 USD.

The project is implemented by the Mediterranean Youth Foundation (MYF) under the patronage of the Egyptian Ministry of Environment and in cooperation with Misr El-Kheir Foundation and Population Matters. The 4th edition focuses on three key pillars:

Building youth capacity, enhancing climate knowledge, and understanding international efforts and the outcomes of climate summits.
Empowering youth through field environmental initiatives and providing direct financial support.
Supporting their participation in decision-making by training them on how to prepare policy papers and provide badges to attend official climate negotiations.

Benefits of participation:

Receive free training on climate change, its historical background, and international efforts.
The possibility of obtaining micro-technical and financial support up to 500 USD to fund environmental initiatives and projects.
Participate in the preparation of policy papers with the possibility of obtaining badges to attend official climate negotiations such as COP-SB.

Note: This project is funded, and there are no fees for participation.

The final deadline for registration is December 20, 2025, at 11PM Cairo Time.

The third edition of the Mediterranean Initiative for Climate (MIC) is being launched from Ras El Bar, Egypt. In parallel with the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY Egypt 2025), the Mediterranean Youth Foundation and its partners launched the third edition of our strategic project, the “Mediterranean Initiative for Climate.” The initiative is jointly supported by the Council of Europe and the European Union and is being implemented in Egypt by the Mediterranean Youth Foundation, under the joint patronage of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Environment. The events kicked off with ice-breaking sessions and energizing activities, followed by interactive workshops addressing key climate change questions: What is it? When did it start? How was the response of the international community? What is the role of cultural dialogue in fostering Euro-Mediterranean cooperation? This initiative comes as part of the foundation’s plan to develop the skills and build the capacities of civil society actors, aiming for sustainable development driven by youth leadership. Aroog also facilitated an analytical session that explored the evolution of international frameworks to combat climate change , starting from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), followed by the Kyoto Protocol, and then the Paris Agreement, all the way up to the long-term European Green Deal, which aims to make the EU the first climate-neutral continent by achieving net-zero emissions by 2050! A rich sequence that reflects how the international community’s response to the climate issue has evolved, and highlights the importance of continued cross-border cooperation for a more sustainable future. Stay tuned for upcoming events and reports.

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Youth Against Exclusion

Project Reference: 2021-2-EE01-KA152-YOU-000038000

Project Status

Completed

  • Start date 01-01-2022
  • End date 31-05-2023

EU Grant

26.485,40 €

Programme

Erasmus+

Key Action

Learning Mobility of Individuals

Action Type

Mobility of young people

Countries covered

6

  • Bridging intercultural, intergenerational and social divide
  • European identity and values
  • Inclusion of marginalised young people

Summary

Objectives

By implementing this project, we wanted to awaken and empower the sense of acceptance, inclusiveness, open-mindedness, and solidarity in young people towards different nationalities, religions, and socio-economic groups. Driven by the difficulty of modern societies to accept diversity (in all its forms), even though they consist of people from different ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds our wish was to equip and empower youngsters with the necessary skills and competences and engage and motivate them for supporting and standing up for all those “minority” groups who have no voice, are marginalized, and excluded from society and its processes and become social-changers.

Through raising awareness about this issue not only we made young people empathetic enough to be actively involved in their local communities, make a change and have an impact, raise their voices when it comes to their rights, and support and stand up for others when they see injustice or violation of human rights, but we also contributed to the encouragement of society (and its citizens) to improve its role in helping people to feel a sense of belonging and identity when settling into a new place and community.

Our goal was through this project and its activity to contribute and corresponded to one of the set priorities of Erasmus+ Programme and European Commission for young people, which is “Inclusion and Diversity” and the provision of equal opportunities for the educational, professional, and personal development of youth through non-formal and informal education. This was achieved by 1) including young people primarily from ethnic minorities, descendants of immigrants, and youngsters with social/ educational/ economic, and geographical obstacles, 2) promoting the learning mobility of individuals and groups, as well as cooperation, quality, inclusion and equality, excellence, creativity and innovation at the level of organizations and policies in the field of education and training, 3) promoting non-formal and informal learning mobility and the active participation of youth, as well as cooperation, quality, inclusion, creativity, and innovation.

We created a safe learning environment for the participants, where they could express themselves without fear, share ideas and points of view, learn from each other, and all together discover the best ways to combat exclusion. To achieve all the above, we used interactive methods and approaches, based on non-formal education tools such as teamwork, brainstorming, role plays, debates, simulations, and of course reflection and evaluation. In this way, participants learnt to respect cultural diversity and foster mutual understanding between people from different countries driving European Integration, be open-minded, be tolerant and accept diversity, behave in conflict situations, and especially in multi-ethnic/ multicultural communities. They became more resilient to life’s difficulties and strong and empathetic enough to be actively involved in their local communities, make a change and have an impact, raise their voices when it comes to their rights, and support and stand up for others when they see injustice or violation of human rights.


The objectives of the project were:

• To foster a greater and inclusive sense of belonging and identity.
• To promote a sense of tolerance among young people.
• To enhance the importance of diverse values like the importance of maintaining pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity, and equality.
• To empower young people to find their own way in life.
• To effectively communicate and cooperate in order to reach common goals in an international environment and develop common values.

Through an international atmosphere, we addressed and discussed different aspects of international voluntary projects and activities and their required preparation. We also raised awareness of other issues that can arise or can be directly related to leading an international and local youth project. Our focus was directly linked to cooperation among organizations and the importance of leadership. Moreover, we provided a reliable and safe space for participants from both EU and non-EU countries to develop themselves and gain new skills. The inclusion of this combination of countries allowed us to have a broad share of experiences among us but also a broader audience for the dissemination of project results.

Implementation

In the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, KA1 project “Youth Against Exclusion”, we implemented a Youth Exchange which was held from the 27th of September to the 8th of October (including the travel days), in Marrakesh, Morocco. This 10-day activity, which was structured and based on tools and methods of non-formal education, tackled the topic of inclusion and how can young people contribute to the achievement and promotion of acceptance of diversity, solidarity, tolerance, and intercultural dialogue.
The activity was designed and addressed to 30 young people in total (30 participants and 6 Youth Leaders) from 6 countries (Estonia, Morocco, Italy, Georgia, Lithuania, and Egypt). However, due to the fact that the Georgian delegation couldn’t attend due to problems with visa issuing, we had to proceed to the replacement of the partner, with Greece, after informing and getting the approval from the Estonian NA.
The age rank of participants was from 18 to 25 years old while the Youth Leaders were 18 years old and above, with no age limit, however, and with proven experience in non-formal education activities and in working directly (either professionally or voluntarily) with young people. As far as the profile of participants is concerned, we had two categories:
1. Young people, volunteers, active citizens, youth leaders
2. Young people with fewer opportunities with cultural differences and facing educational difficulties, and social, economic, and geographical obstacles.

Concerning the profile of the Youth Leaders all of them had already had previous experience in the Youth field and non-formal education and more specifically in working directly with young people whether at a professional or voluntary level. In addition, they had all previous experience in traveling abroad and being involved in the non-governmental sector and their communities.
All these experiences not only helped them to efficiently support and help their groups but were also shared with participants in order to motivate them and show them that in life there are both success and failure stories which are both necessary to help us understand who we are, what are our strengths and weaknesses and are crucial to help us become more mature, strong, responsible and self-confident.
All participants had a basic level of the English language, which was the working language of the project, something that helped them to participate actively in the sessions and to express themselves and their thoughts with the rest of the group. At the same time, our goal was to promote gender equality among participants and to provide equal opportunities for all interested candidates, so we included participants with fewer opportunities that were facing geographical, economic, social, cultural, and educational obstacles.
Furthermore, the project gave the opportunity and the space for participants coming from EU and non-EU countries to meet which was the best practice example to achieve intercultural understanding and learning and appreciate diversity. Participants were able to discuss, exchange ideas and points of view and work on the topic of inclusion and intercultural learning, challenges that young people face nowadays and what their needs are, youth participation, identity, and active citizenship.
The entire design of the activity was based on covering the needs of participating organizations and their target groups.

Results

The results and impact of the project “Youth Against Exclusion” were significant on both the participants and their organizations, but also on the target groups that these organizations are working with. This impact was applicable at local, national, and European level.
Our main target group was the participants themselves and the direct and biggest impact of our project was on them. More specifically the project and its activity helped them: understand who they are and realize what were the main factors that have shaped their identities and personalities, discover their own biases and how all of us unconsciously exclude groups of people, learn to appreciate diversity, their own cultural backgrounds and the importance of intercultural dialogue, empower their strengths and discover unrevealed talents and interests, and develop and improve a wide range of skills and competences. Throughout the whole process, the tools, and methods they experienced and their interaction with other youngsters from different countries and with different cultural backgrounds, participants became more open-minded and tolerant to diversity, self-confident and self-esteemed, they learnt how to work in teams and in a multicultural environment, they increased their empathy and social understanding and became more active citizens. By exchanging ideas, points of view, thoughts, worries, and hopes and by recognizing all the things they learnt and achieved during this project’s journey, they got a clearer idea about what they like or want to do further in their life, they discovered new opportunities, potentials, and things they are interested in and realized how important their role is in society, today’s world and its future.
This intercultural experience gave participants not only the opportunity to become capable of recognizing exclusion in all its forms, combating and even preventing it especially by using non-formal education tools but also to discover better themselves, develop at a personal and professional level and make new friendships and lay the ground for the creation of their own networks in order to organize future joint activities and projects.
They returned to their homes being more sensitized, aware, and equipped with new skills, competences, and tools easily adaptable and used in an interactive way in their local realities. In a few words, they returned ready to lead and become youth workers and act as multipliers and mentors for other youngsters in their local communities. The impact on their local communities was the usage of tools, methods, and good practice examples to help, motivate and engage as many young people as possible through innovative and interactive approaches to combat exclusion and become active citizens. During the activity, participants had also the chance to discover and interact with the local community of Marrakech, increasing this way their responsiveness to cultural diversity, providing a significant impact at a local level, and promoting and giving visibility to the Erasmus+ programme and the project itself from the very beginning. They gave the opportunity to local citizens and young people to learn under which framework they had come to Morocco and what they were doing there. They invited local Youth to attend the intercultural nights in order to have the opportunity to get more familiar with the programme and the project, have the chance to discover new cultures, and also present theirs and discuss with the participants at a more intercultural and international level. The local community was benefitted also from the fact that the project laid the ground for the organized teamwork of the society, the citizens, and the local authorities as we had fruitful communication and cooperation with local stakeholders.
Moreover, the project managed to increase the capacity of the involved organizations in working on international projects and in working with youngsters by using new methods for raising awareness about inclusion based on non-formal education techniques and tools. Each partner organization gained through its participating delegation youngsters with experience and confidence in implementing activities promoting social inclusion and development of Youth, in using non-formal education activities in general, and who had a good understanding of Erasmus+ programme and the opportunities it offers for supporting Youth. All those were factors that attracted other youngsters and increased the number of their volunteers.

At the same time, participants were able to empower and have an impact not only on their sending organizations, their personnel, and their target groups but also on other local and national organizations and a broader number of youngsters, youth workers, and any other interested person. Consequently, a wider impact and promotion of social inclusion was achieved, and the sustainability of the project results was ensured.